Found
by Elite Shade
Summary: Inspired by the stories The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether and A Lamb Among Wolves by the wonderful WastedTimeEE. Five years after the events of ALAW, Dawn and Vernon have begun looking into adoption, to come across a trio of children in need of a loving home.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there, everyone! Here I am with a brand new series that I'm so happy to have started! It was inspired by the amazing emotional rollercoaster,** _ **The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether**_ **and its sequel,** _ **A Lamb Among Wolves**_ **, both written by the wonderfully talented author,** _ **WastedTimeEE**_ **! I guess you could say that this is a fanfiction of a fanfiction. I hope that you enjoy it, and please feel free to tell me what you think!**

Found (Chapter 1)

by

Elite Shade

"Sweet sawgrass, Lamb Chop," the large grey wolf exclaimed. The two stepped up to a surprisingly well-kept building, the bronze lettering of the sign out front polished. "Can you believe how that lady was looking at us at the last place?"

"I know, Vernon, but that was to be expected," Dawn said, reaching up to rub her mate's arm. He let out a sigh before he leaned down to pull her into a hug.

"It's just not right. Here we are, ready to provide a loving home for some kids, and gods know that they have a surplus of 'em, and what do they say? No," Vernon said with a growl. Dawn frowned as she wrapped her arms around his neck, still having to reach up a little due to the height difference, and tightened her hold.

"I know, Puppy Love," Dawn said, making direct eye contact with her mate, "but we both have to remember that I've got a criminal record."

Vernon gave a snort to that. "Honey Lamb, you have more than made up fer that. Anyone who still holds it against you is even more stubborn than my old mam."

The couple had been looking to adopt for quite some time, finding the process to be long and difficult. Dawn's record had been a source of some concern for many of the potential adoption agencies. That, combined with them being a predator and prey couple, had been sufficient for refusal from most of the places that they had tried.

"Besides, this place seemed a lot more promising when I made the appointment. They did a full background check and everything on us and still called us back," Dawn said, smiling reassuringly up at Vernon, feeling elated to see his muzzle curl up into a relaxed smile.

"Well, hopefully we'll find us a little pup and lamb who'll wanna come home with us," Vernon said, leaning down a little further to kiss his mate. They stood like that on the sidewalk for a few moments before they broke apart. It had been five years since they had been properly tithed and had their caprid ceremony, mating them together for life, and yet the little ewe still felt the butterflies in her stomach return every time they shared a kiss. Vernon smiled at her, his wagging tail revealing his own feelings, before he looked at the sign on the manicured lawn out front.

"Warm Hearts, Warm Hearths Children's Center," Vernon read aloud. The building wasn't particularly big, located in a residential area not too far from Little Rodentia. It was a red brick building, with five stories in total. There were quite a few windows through which happy squeals of children's laughter could be heard. Vernon held onto Dawn's hoof, giving it a gentle squeeze, as they strode up the front steps and entered.

They had just stepped onto hardwood flooring, with Vernon closing the door behind them, when a voice called out.

"Be with you in a moment." It was a soft feminine voice. "Please take a seat and make yourselves at home."

Vernon and Dawn did as instructed, heading towards the two chairs sitting before a desk right there in the main hall. They each took a seat, with Vernon helping Dawn into hers, due to her size. They had only to wait for a couple of minutes before the smiling face of a kangaroo dressed in a cream colored blouse and jeans appeared from the hallway. She took a seat opposite the two of them, behind the desk.

"Now are you two the Hunters?" she asked, putting on a pair of wire-rim glasses as she consulted a piece of paper on the desk.

"That's correct, Dawn and Vernon Hunter," Dawn said, feeling a swell of pride once more at referring to herself as a Hunter.

"Ah yes, you two are a little early," the kangaroo said with a shrug, "not that that matters in the least. I'm Amanda Hopper, we spoke on the phone."

"Oh, yes," Dawn said, remembering her chipper voice.

"Alright. Well, since we're having this conversation here, obviously that means that you two have been approved to adopt," Amanda said, smiling a little at the look of happiness that was apparent on the faces of the couple before her.

"Oh my goodness, that's wonderful! Isn't it, Puppy Love?" Dawn said, leaning over to take Vernon's paw in her hoof once again.

"It sure is, Lamb Chop," he said, gazing into her eyes before turning his attention to the kangaroo. "You have no idea how much this means to us."

"Oh, I think I might have an inkling," Amanda said before turning a picture in a frame on her desk to face the two. The picture showed the kangaroo before them with a tigress, both wearing white dresses and embracing while facing the camera. "My mate and I know that it can be a bit difficult for pred-prey couples to adopt."

Vernon and Dawn both nodded at this. "A-And you're sure that m-m-my," Dawn gulped as she struggled to get the words out, "criminal record isn't an issue?"

Amanda looked down at the ewe and smiled warmly. "Mrs. Hunter," (despite her nervousness, Dawn felt that sense of elation again at sharing Vernon's last name), "not only do I believe in rehabilitation for inmates and not only have I received some amazing letters of recommendation from some equally amazing mammals, but I'm also well aware of the fact that, despite your past, you are a hero who put her own life on the line to save others. In summation, no, that little blip on your file will not be making any difficulty for you two whatsoever here." Dawn smiled at that statement, visibly relaxing as a wave of relief washed over her.

"Now, according to you two, you're not looking for infants or toddlers, correct?" Amanda asked, consulting a file she had pulled out from a desk drawer.

"That's right," Vernon said, "we know that Zootopia's come a long way in the five years since my darlin's first book was released, in regards to predator and prey couples. But we still do get some flak for it, from time to time," Amanda nodded at this, (her smile becoming one of sympathy), "and when we talked it over, we decided that it would be unfair for a child to have to deal with the same thing, fer havin' a pred-prey couple fer parents, that didn't even ask fer it. So we want to look around the seven to eight age range, so that we could ask a potential pup or lamb whether or not they wanna take the risk."

"I see. Well, just so you know, not a whole lot of couples looking to adopt usually look for children over the age of three, which is all fine and good, but that doesn't do anything to help the older children," Amanda explained.

"We had heard that too," Dawn chimed in, "which is why we think that this would be for the best."

"Alright, now is there a specific reason why you are only looking for a wolf or sheep to adopt?" Amanda asked.

"W-Well, we felt that it would be easier for us to relate to some of the things that they'll go through as they get older, like the headbutting phase in the early teens," Dawn said.

"Or the urge to howl," Vernon added.

"Oh, b-but please don't think that we won't be willing to take any other children who would want us for parents. We just ultimately want to have kids, of any species," Dawn said.

"And any child who wants to take the plunge with us, we're going to love and care for them, no matter what," Vernon finished, still holding Dawn's hoof in his paw. Amanda's smile grew wider at the sight of them.

"Well, as it just so happens, there's both a little lamb and pup who are in that age range," Amanda said, "and they both are pretty open to the idea of being adopted by you two."

Vernon and Dawn both looked as though they could barely believe their ears.

"But there is a bit of a catch," Amanda said, noticing the worry beginning to cloud the faces of the couple before her, "you see, Alice and Trevor are very close to one another, as well as to a younger child. They actually view each other as siblings. And they have both made it absolutely clear that they refuse to be separated from one another..." Amanda trailed off, the kangaroo not knowing that she was starting to hold her breath.

"Oh! W-Well, w-we we've only ever discussed having one child... but trying to split up siblings, even siblings not related by blood, just sounds horrible!" Dawn said, looking over at her mate. "Puppy Love, what do you think?"

Vernon squeezed Dawn's hoof once again, before answering. "Well, Darlin', three little pups sure do sound like a bigger committment than just the one, but you're absolutely right, it would be wrong to try and split 'em up."

"D-Do you think that we could do it? That we could be parents to three little lambs?" Dawn hesitantly asked.

"It might not be easy, but I think that we can do it," Vernon said after a moment's thought.

Dawn leaned closer to her wolf. "I think so too, Puppy," she said, suddenly feeling her excitement grow.

"So then, Darlin', us havin' a litter of three sounds just fine to me," he said, his tail thumping against the back of the chair, making Dawn let out a giggle. Amanda released her held breath.

"Well, now, before anything else gets said and done, I should probably show you the three," Amanda said, picking up a book on her desk and flipping through the pages. She came to rest on one before handing the book to the couple for them to see for themselves. On the page was a picture of a young midnight black she-wolf who had an arm wrapped around a little black sheep boy and a strange little mammal, all three of whom were smiling as they leaned in close.

"That's Alice in the center, she's eight, and that's Trevor on the right, he just turned seven, and on the left is little Lily, we believe that she's six. Their unofficial little sister," Amanda explained. Dawn and Vernon both looked at the picture quizzically, trying to figure out the species of the third mammal.

"Lily looks like a cutie, that's for sure," Dawn said after a minute of examining the picture. Both of the girls were wearing matching yellow sundresses, while the lamb was wearing a yellow shirt and blue shorts. They were standing in a garden, a fountain right behind them. Dawn's eyes traced back to the picture of the little mystery mammal, her curiosity piqued. "But, uh, wh-wh-what species is she, exactly?"

Amanda frowned and leaned back in her chair. "That's just it, no one's been able to determine her species. She doesn't match anything on any registry whatsoever. All we know about her is that she's a mammal, and she was picked up off the streets at around three or four."

"The poor dear!" Dawn said, suddenly feeling an ache in her heart for the girl. She looked at the picture, taking in Lily's lack of muzzle and small nose. Aside from the long brown fur on the top of her head and her eyebrows, her face was completely furless, and the neck and exposed arms and shins suggested that she was devoid of fur all over. Dawn noticed her paws, yet another mystery. They were clearly not hooves, though she thought that they looked a bit like pale and furless versions of a raccoon's paws. Since Lily was at an angle, the ewe also noted a lack of a tail.

"So then... there's absolutely no record of a species like this, anywhere?" Dawn asked, feeling a small pit of worry form in her stomach.

"Not anywhere that we've looked into," the kangaroo confirmed. "She even had a DNA sample taken and tested, when she was picked up, and it just came back as an Unknown Species."

"That's gunna make relatin' to her a little difficult," Vernon said, scratching his chin. Dawn looked to her mate for any kind of sign of second thoughts, suddenly worried that their chance to become parents might have hit a slight snag. Dawn looked back to the picture, touching her hoof to it.

"Well, whatever she is," Vernon said, snapping Dawn out of her study of the picture, "she's more than welcome to join the Hunter clan, right, Honey Lamb?"

Dawn looked up at Vernon and smiled, before turning back to Amanda and handing her the book of photos back. "That's right," she said.

Amanda hopped up from her seat and clapped her paws together.

"Well, then, all that's left to do is the meet and greet. Feel up to it, you two?" Amanda asked.

"You bet," Vernon said, his tail thumping the chair again. Dawn had to stifle another giggle before she hopped down from her own chair, Vernon standing up right next to her. Amanda started to lead them down the nearest hall to a room with two couches sitting across from one another. She motioned for the two of them to take another seat, before going off to gather the three. Amanda returned a short while later, gently shepherding the three children, who matched their picture in the photo perfectly.

Alice, the little black furred pup, was holding the paw and hoof of the other two, apparently the leader. She was wearing a bright red shirt and grey shorts, her two yellow eyes looking over the couple warily as she stood in front of the other two in a protective fashion. The little lamb, Trevor, his wool also midnight black, was smiling hopefully at Dawn and Vernon. He was wearing a green _Adolescent Mutant Samurai Snakes_ shirt, depicting all four of the main reptile characters, and green shorts. Little Lily was the most timid of the three, glancing at Dawn and Vern from behind Alice, peeking over her shoulder from time to time. She was wearing a violet sundress, with her brown headfur in a ponytail, tied with a white ribbon in a bow. Her deep blue eyes were filled with worry, but also a twinge of hope. Her skin was almost a complete contrast to the other two, being very light and pale. They then all clambered up onto the other couch, with Lily tucking herself just behind Alice once more, looking out with those wide eyes.

"Alice, Trevor, Lily," Amanda addressed the children, who all turned to look at her, to see the kangaroo motioning to the couple on the opposite couch. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Hunter."

"Hello," Alice started, her voice cool and steady, but also friendly. Trevor simply waved, suddenly feeling shy, while Lily continued to stare, before being nudged by the wolf pup and squeaking out a polite hello as well.

"Hello there," Dawn said, smiling at the trio before them, her excitement barely being contained. She could feel and hear Vernon's tail happily thumping the couch, and she knew he felt the same way. She watched as all three of the children seemed to visibly relax, although Lily was still tucking herself behind Alice a bit. Dawn had to stop herself from cooing at the cuteness of it all, which was especially difficult considering that she could now see that Lily was a bit taller than Alice or Trevor.

"Hey there," Vernon said, making sure not to expose his teeth and potentially frighten them.

Unsure of how to proceed, Amanda politely guided all of them through the proper introductions. After a while of speaking, Dawn and Vernon told the children a bit about themselves, and the children did the same. That was how Vernon and Dawn came to learn that Alice loved playing soccer, Trevor enjoyed reading, and Lily loved to draw. It seemed that all five had become comfortable around one another when Trevor asked the question.

"Are you two gunna adopt us? Because we're not gunna leave Lily behind," Trevor stated firmly; "she's our little sister."

Amanda looked shocked at the suddenness of the question, looking to the couple to see how they reacted to it. The ewe and wolf looked to one another and smiled, before turning to the trio.

"Well, if'n you three don't mind the idea of us adoptin' ya, we'd be more than happy to take all of ya," Vernon said, almost chuckling at the look of surprise on the three faces.

Dawn then went on to explain that because they were a predator and prey couple they were sometimes harassed, and how they didn't want to potentially subject any children to that that didn't want to risk it.

"But," she added, "if you still would like us to adopt you, we promise that we'll do everything to make sure that you know you are loved and cared for and protected." Dawn held her breath and squeezed Vernon's paw as the children huddled up on the couch, whispering to each other. It was a short talk that ended with them turned back to face the couple, Alice speaking for the three.

"Okay... just so long as me and my brother and sister get to stay together," she said, hugging them close to her for emphasis.

Dawn and Vernon both simultaneously broke into happy grins, Dawn once again finding it hard not to coo at the cuteness of the three of them. They all excitedly spoke some more for nearly a half an hour before it was time for Dawn and Vernon to go. On their way out, Amanda assured them that the adoption process was going to be much quicker from that point on and that, in a few days, they'd be able to take their new children home with them.

It wasn't until they were back in the car, a safe and family-friendly SUV, with the windows rolled up, that Vernon let loose a howl of pure joy, excitement, and relief. He normally was very good at suppressing his urge to howl, but this was a rare exception. Before Dawn could say a word, she was scooped up into his arms as he held her tight and kissed her passionately. Their lips broke apart and they cuddled each other closely for a moment, sharing in their happiness.

"This is really happening," Vernon said, his tail a blur of excitement as he spoke; "we're really going to get to be parents!"

"I know, Puppy Love," Dawn said as she rested her head on his chest, his scent flooding her nostrils and bringing with it the usual comfort that it brought, "this is like a dream come true."

"Oh, wow... oh, Darlin'," Vernon said as a thought suddenly struck him, "we gotta lot to do now. We gotta get the rooms all ready for them, gotta double check to make sure that the house is safe for them gotta, we gotta," Vernon said faster and faster as he became more and more nervous. Dawn wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his muzzle, calming him instantly.

"Everything's going to be okay, Puppy, all we really have to do is clear out a third room, which will be simple, and get another bed. We already checked, and double-checked, and quadruple-checked to make sure that the house is a safe place for children," Dawn reminded him.

"Right... I just... I don't know how to describe what I'm feelin' right now, Darlin'," Vernon said, receiving another peck on the muzzle before Dawn slid back into her own seat and buckled her seat belt. Vernon did the same before turning the keys and starting up the car, soon driving them to the house they had bought two years ago in one of the residential areas of Savanah Central. It was a two-story building with a garage, a small front yard and a large backyard. There were three bathrooms, a master bedroom and five other rooms, not counting the kitchen and living room. Vernon had converted what was the former owner's personal study into a home office, having finished his internship at the city's architecture department and earned himself a full-time position.

Presently, he was working on a new library being built in Sahara Square, something that he was very excited about. Dawn had dedicated an entire room to writing, having published another two books and currently working on a third one, this one being a fantasy romance, which was a bit different from her other books. That had initially left the remaining rooms to be guest rooms or storage rooms, whatever was convenient. But when they had first decided to adopt, they started renting a storage unit, and transferred all of the excess items there.

Only after the car was safely in the garage and the two were inside did they let their excitement get the better of them once again, with Dawn being picked up and perched on Vernon's shoulder as he let loose another howl. She laughed and lightly smacked her hoof against his head.

"Vernon, how many times have I told you to stop doing this?" she asked, an excited giggle in her voice. Vernon just smiled slyly.

"And how many times do I have to remind you that you know you love it when I do this?" he asked back. They were brought out of their excitement by the ringtone coming from Vernon's pocket. He fished out his phone and confirmed that the caller was his mother. He set Dawn down before answering it.

"Hey there, Ma," he said.

"Hi Vernon, didja have any luck today with making me a grandma?" Audrey asked; while she knew when to be tactful, she sometimes chose to be blunt. In her desire to have one of her children finally give her grandpups, her default was usually bluntness.

"Actually... yes... we've got three pups that we're gunna be takin' in," Vernon said, wanting to add more, but the excited howl coming from the other end of the phone cutting off all further conversation. Dawn smiled, loving how excited her mother-in-law was at the news. Then her own phone started to buzz, and she checked to find that her own mother was calling, most likely to also ask about the adoption. Vernon and Dawn made eye contact, their joy apparent for anyone to see.

After further explaining the details to their parents, and another passion filled kiss, Vernon swept up Dawn into his arms and ran upstairs with her perched onto his shoulders. They came to a stop in the hall, both peering in to the open door immediately on their left. Aside from a small bed and dresser it was bare. But for a moment, to their hopeful eyes, they both shared a vision of a room with some toys scattered about, the sheets and quilt on the bed a rumpled mess. A true child's room.

"Vernon?" The ewe's voice grabbed the wolf's attention, and he turned to face Dawn.

"Yes, Darlin'?" he asked in his deep voice.

"We're really going to be parents." It was a statement, not a question, a tear in the corner of her eye. Vernon reached up, gently nudging aside her glasses, and wiped away the tear.

"It's really happenin', Lamb Chop, it really is," Vernon said. That earned him a tight embrace from his mate around his neck as he led the two of them to the bedroom. He sat down on their large circular bed, with Dawn slipping down into his lap, pulling his muzzle close so that their lips could meet. He wrapped his paws around her waist, letting her guide him. Once again, their phones started to buzz, interrupting the two, who gazed into each other's eyes and smiled.

"And that would be Gus callin'," Vernon said as he looked at his phone.

"Judy's calling too," Dawn said.

Rather than answering their phones, they laid down with one another, Vernon curling his body around Dawn, enjoying the scent of her, his tail thumping down on the mattress.

"That little pup seemed like she was pretty used to shielding the other two," Vernon said, thinking back to how Alice had continually stayed a little bit in front of Lily and Trevor.

"I know what you mean, Puppy," Dawn said, inhaling Vernon's scent and snuggling closer into his exposed chest fur, "she seems like a good big sister."

"The little lamb, Trevor," Dawn started after another moment of enjoying her wolf's presence, "I think that he's going to be quite the bookworm."

"Just like his new mother," Vernon's voice rumbled, his chest vibrating against her muzzle as he spoke. Vernon could feel Dawn's bright smile, even though her face was obscured.

"Lily," Dawn said, hesitating for a moment, "I don't know what species she is... but the poor dear just seemed so scared... I just wanted to give her a big hug and tell her that everything is going to be alright."

"I know what ya mean, Darlin'," Vernon said as they moved a bit apart, their phones buzzing some more, which they both continued to ignore, just laying side by side and enjoying the comfort of each other. "I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to live in an orphanage, and on top of that, to not even know what you are. That couldn't have been easy."

Dawn reached out and took Vernon's paw into her hooves. "It can't have been easy for any of them. In fact, that theory that Amanda said someone had about Lily, the one about her being some kind of deformed sheep, even if it's true, that's not going to stop us from showering her with the same amount of love and attention as her brother and sister."

"Not one bit," Vernon confirmed, before their phones both buzzed again, both the bunny cop and the goat showing the same amount of persistence. With a simultaneous roll of their eyes, they both answered their friends' calls.

"Dawn!" came Judy's voice from the ewe's phone, "Is everything okay? How'd the interview go?"

"Everything's fine, Judy, better than fine, actually. We're going to be parents," Dawn said. There was a pause as Dawn let the information sink in, before she started to wonder if they had gotten disconnected. Then there was a loud squeal of pure joy that made Dawn concurrently smile and wince a little.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers, FINALLY!" Judy said.

"Hello there, Gus," Vernon said, while Dawn filled Judy in on the details.

"Hiya Vern, how'd it go?" the goat asked.

"Surprisingly better than any of the other times. Dawn and I'll be a ma and pa," he said, holding back a chuckle as he heard Gus let out an excited bleat.

"That's wonderful, Vern, so what's your new kid gunna be?" Gus asked on the other end.

"Well, we're going to be takin' in three pups," Vernon said.

"Three?" Gus asked, surprised. "Three kids? Were they havin' a sale?" Gus joked.

"No, but they were a package deal," Vernon explained, "they wouldn't be separated, not that we were gunna separate siblings, even adopted siblings like these three."

"Okay... so what are they?" Gus asked.

"Well, two little girls and a little boy. They are a wolf pup, and little lamb, and a... well, no one really knows what species she is, but she's just the cutest little mystery mammal."

"Oh really? Well congratulations, buddy," Gus said, meaning it, "I can't wait to meet your new kids."

"Dawn!" Judy said after she had been filled in on the details, "you're about to become a mommy!" The bunny practically squealed in delight.

"And they're hittin' the ground running on this whole parent-thing, it would seem," came the voice of Nick, whose muzzle with his classic smirk poked into view for Dawn to see.

"I know, three little kits, it'll probably be like a dream come true for them!" Judy said, turning to look up at Nick, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Really makes you think, huh, Slick?"

Nick's face suddenly lost its smirk, the expression on his muzzle becoming very uncomfortable.

"Uh.. wh-whaddya mean, Carrots?" Nick asked, tugging at the collar of his police uniform.

"Well, _we_ could also help make a wonderful difference in the life of a-" Judy started, innocently, before the fox cut her off.

"Oops, didja hear that call on the radio? Looks like I'd better go take care of that!" he said, his face suddenly disappearing.

"Oh, that dumb fox," Dawn heard Judy mumble before the bunny smiled at her and offered yet another congratulation, clearly chasing after Nick.

"NICK! I don't know where you think you're going, but you-" Judy's voice could be heard before the call cut off. Dawn giggled at the antics of her dear friends, Vernon having heard some of what had transpired and rumbling out another deep chuckle of his own.

"I have a feeling that they're gunna be adoptin' their own little ones pretty soon, Darlin'," Vernon said as he set his phone on the nightstand, his conversation with Gus having ended a little while ago. He then pulled Dawn back into his embrace, his tail wagging again as they cuddled closely. "Twenty bucks says that they'll start looking by the end of the week."

"Oh, Puppy, don't be ridiculous," Dawn said as she looked up into Vernon's gaze, "the end of the month will be much more likely."

"Heh... y'know, Honey Lamb, just because we're already adoptin' doesn't mean we can't try to become parents the old fashioned way," Vernon suggested with a wink.

"True," Dawn said, pretending to consider this, "but I don't remember ever hearing about a wolf and a sheep interbreeding before."

"Doesn't sound like much of an excuse to not try to me, Darlin," Vernon said, his voice growing huskier.

"You make a very compelling argument, Puppy Love," Dawn said just before she removed her glasses and set them next to their phones on the nightstand.

 **And there we go, folks! The very first chapter of a brand new series! I hope that you enjoyed it so far, and will keep on enjoying the future chapters!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again and happy holidays! I am excited to bring to you the newest chapter of** _ **Found**_ **! Once again, this story has been proofread by my good friend,** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **! I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!**

Found (Chapter 2)

by

Elite Shade

"So whaddya think, Darlin'?" Vernon asked as he and Dawn both stood in the hall, looking at the three bedrooms that they had prepared for the children. After the interview and meeting with the three, the couple had then gone out shopping for things to help furnish the rooms. They bought another two different sized mattresses, with Lily's being the biggest, a variety of stuffed animals, a soccer ball for Alice, some drawing and art supplies for Lily, and an entire bookshelf of fantasy and science fiction books for Trevor, just to name some of the things that they had gotten. The couple had been worried, on the day of the home inspection, that they hadn't bought enough, but the squirrel caseworker has assured them that their home was perfect.

"I think that they're going to love it," Dawn said, leaning closer to her mate to hug him tightly around the waist, having to stand on her tip-hooves to do so.

"I did make sure to keep all the receipts, just in case there are some things that they don't want," Vernon said, smiling.

"Good idea," Dawn said, her voice starting to crack with emotion. Vernon turned to gaze down at the little ewe, and returned her hug.

"Honey Lamb," the large wolf said softly, looking confused, "what's the matter?"

"Nothing, Puppy, it's just..." Dawn said, smiling as she removed her glasses to wipe at her eyes before continuing, "tomorrow... we're bringing our little lambs home. Tomorrow... w-we officially become a mommy and daddy."

Vernon's smile grew, and without a moment's hesitation, Dawn found herself scooped up into his strong arms, being kissed passionately. They broke apart after a moment, still hugging one another tightly.

"I know what'cha mean, Darlin'," Vernon said, his tail wagging, "I just feel so excited, happy, and nervous all at the same time."

"I'm still worried about Lily," Dawn confessed, feeling a pang of guilt, but pushing that feeling away, "but I know that we'll do everything we can to be the best mother and father for all three of them."

"Absolutely," Vernon said.

"You know," Dawn started after a few moments of simply enjoying the moment with her mate, "just because Child Services cannot find any information about Lily's species, that doesn't mean that there is no way to find out anything."

"Oh?" Vernon said, smirking, knowing full well that a plan was forming in the ewe's mind.

"I have a few ideas, but I need to do a little more research first," Dawn said. She didn't get the chance to say anymore due to Vernon's phone buzzing. The wolf rolled his eyes as he fished it out, seeing that it was his brother Wade this time who had called.

"Hey there, Wade," Vernon said after answering the call.

"Heya, Vern, so what's this I hear about you and Dawn adopting an entire litter of pups?" Wade wasted no time.

"Where'd ya hear that?" Vernon asked, confused, what with he and Dawn having only told a few friends and their parents so far.

"Qali called Giselle a little while ago, saying that Vanna had told her that you and Dawn had gone on to adopt seven pups, all of different species," Wade explained. "And I gotta say, Vern, I'm wondering why I had to go and hear about it secondpaw like that. But also, are you sure that you two can care for seven pups all at once?"

Vernon had brought his paw up to his face, while Dawn tried to hold back a giggle.

"Why would Vanna know anything about any of this? We haven't told either her or Zach yet," Vernon wondered.

"Zach accidentally overheard Ma on the phone with you, and immediately told Vanna when he got home," Wade explained.

"I'm still a little surprised that Vanna would just go and call up Qali to talk about this without waiting to get all the facts first," Vernon said, a little frustrated at the tigress, but also at Zach.

"Well... she didn't," Wade continued his explanation, "Qali called her up to chat and somehow picked up that Vanna knew something, and, well, you know how persistent Qali can be..."

"That does make more sense," Vernon agreed, knowing the arctic vixen well enough.

"Right, so after a few minutes of interrogating her, Vanna spilled the beans," Wade said.

"Okay... so have you guys told anyone else?" Vernon asked.

"No, we haven't, but it still hurts to be kept out of the loop like that, Vern," Wade said, his tone of voice making Vernon's tail tuck itself between his legs reflexively as a wave of guilt washed over him.

"Wade, me and Dawn have been busy gettin' everything at the house ready fer them," Vernon explained, trying to assuage Wade's feelings. He left out their reasoning for not telling the rest of the Hunter guys and gals was that they wanted to let the children acclimate to their new home gradually, before exposing them to all of their clamoring aunts and uncles.

"Wait... didja just say _them_?" the wolf on the other end said, surprise in his voice. "You two really went and got yourselves seven pups?!" Dawn's giggle could not be suppressed while Vernon rolled his eyes.

"Calm down Wade, we didn't adopt seven of 'em. We're adoptin' three pups," Vernon explained.

"Oh..." Wade said after a moment of silence. "Well... that's still more than I thought that you'd be willing to take in."

"I know, but the three of 'em had already formed a tight bond, callin' each other brother and sisters, that they wouldn't be separated, not that we woulda ever thought of splittin' 'em up," Vernon said, the corners of his muzzle starting to turn back up into a smile at the memory of how adamant the three had been.

"Oh, really?" Wade said, letting out a chuckle. "Well, that makes sense. With no one else in their lives, I can totally see three little wolves forming a bond just as strong as blood siblings."

"Well, actually, only one of 'em, the oldest, is a wolf," Vernon said.

"Oh? And what are the other two? Also canids?" Wade asked.

"No, at least we don't think so," Vernon explained; "the other two are a little lamb... and we don't really know what species the youngest one is."

"Really now?" Wade's curiosity was clearly piqued. "What'd the orphanage have to say?"

"They don't know what she is either. They had a DNA sample tested, but it came back Unknown," Vernon said.

"So no one knows anything? That's... odd..." Wade said, not sure of what to say.

"True, but we're still takin' her in, along with her brother and sister," Vernon said, already starting to feel a swell of pride.

"Oh no, I didn't mean anything by it, Vern," Wade suddenly backtracked, "that's going to be my niece after all. And I'm sure she's a cutie."

"I know that you didn't, Wade. And yeah, they're all cute," Vernon said.

"So what are their names?" Wade asked. Vernon happily told his brother the names of their pups before Wade had to go, seeing as he was still on duty. They both said their farewells and ended the call.

"So," Vernon started, looking down at Dawn, "you heard what Wade said about Qali, right?"

"Oh, yes. Which probably means that everyone else has heard that we're apparently adopting seven pups," Dawn said.

"...So much fer keepin' it all under wraps..." Vernon said, right before his phone started to buzz again. He looked at the screen to see who was calling now. "And now Xavier's callin'." Dawn found her own phone buzzing, to see that it was Malcolm calling her.

"Dawn," the voice of the chubby wolf could be heard the second that she accepted his call, "are you and Vernon really adopting twelve pups?! And all of different species! And more importantly, you tried to keep it a secret. That hurts, Dawn," Malcolm whimpered. "Hunter sisters, honorary or otherwise, shouldn't keep secrets like that from one another." Dawn was flabbergasted, both at how upset Malcolm was as well as the increased number of their supposed litter. She began to explain things to Malcolm while Vernon was being chewed out by his mate.

"Honestly, Vernon, this is just irresponsible," Xavier lectured his brother while Vernon groaned.

"Xavier, this is all bein' blown way outta proportion," Vernon said, unable to get any further words in edgewise.

"No, becoming the parents of seventeen adopted pups all at once is what was blown out of proportion," Xavier started, on a roll. "Not telling your family about this huge and life changing event, for whatever reasons you and Dawn may have had, is nothing short of insulting. I am your brother and your attorney. You had no problem consulting me about your rights as a predator and prey couple adopting. And yet, today, I received a very frantic voicemail from Ulfric about you taking in _seventeen_ -" Vernon let out a frustrated growl and cut off his brother in mid-rant.

"Xavier, we only adopted three pups. _Three_!" he said. "And we didn't want to tell anyone just yet so that when we bring 'em home, tomorrow, they can go about acclimatin' slowly, without gettin' all overwhelmed and such."

Xavier was silent for a few moments before he cleared his throat.

"I see," he said, letting the pause hang there, "well... perhaps I may have overreacted." Vernon rolled his eyes at this admission but chose to say nothing. In the awkward silence of his own conversation, he could hear Dawn explaining to Malcolm what was really going on. His brother-in-law's excited voice could be heard. Already he was planning on a three-tiered cake to bake for the pups. Finally, Xavier spoke again.

"Well then... while it was still a tad wounding... I must confess that I can see your point..." Vernon rolled his eyes, his muzzle curled up into a smile. He and Xavier talked a little longer, with Vernon telling his brother more information about his new nieces and nephew, before hanging up. Dawn had just said goodbye to Malcolm when his phone chimed.

"I guess everyone wants to weigh in about this," Dawn said.

"I'll say," Vernon said as he tapped on his phone. "Even Yuri is getting in on it."

Dawn looked up at her mate curiously as he read her the text that Vernon's brother, Yuri, had sent.

"It's two laughing with tears wolf face izoojis followed by sayin' ' _I can't believe that you went and let her talk ya into gettin' twenty-six pups'_ followed by two more laughing izoojis and _'she's sure got you whipped, Puppy_ '." Vernon frowned at that.

"Why does the number keep getting bigger?" Dawn asked, confused.

"I'd go and put my money on Qali," Vernon mused. They spent the rest of the afternoon explaining the facts about the adoption to the remaining boys and girls of the Hunter clan, including another text, but from Ulfric. Vernon rolled his eyes again after he read it, for it was mostly a warning about how out of the thirty-one pups he had heard that they were adopting, the number having apparently increased yet again for some unknown reason, several of them could have been shape-shifters. The call-fest ultimately ended with Vanna calling up Dawn.

The tigress had felt very remorseful after telling Qali what she had thought she had overheard, and sounded a little upset as she apologized to the ewe. Dawn couldn't find it in herself to be angry with her sister-in-law. She too knew that Qali could be quite persistent, the arctic vixen having some boundary issues, and also knew that Vanna was truly remorseful. She comforted her over the phone, accepted her apology, cleared up the misconception, and then promised that she and Vernon would be sure to bring their pups to the ranch to meet their new auntie.

Night came and went mostly without incident, the couple both equal parts too excited and too nervous to initially sleep, but sleep they did. Dawn awoke first, her wolf curled around her and cuddling the little ewe close. She smiled and nuzzled the ruff of fur on his chest, before remembering what the day was. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was a quarter past nine in the morning.

"Puppy," Dawn said, prodding Vernon's chest with a hoof "get up! We need to get ready! Our appointment is less than an hour away!"

"Five more minutes, Floofs," Vernon mumbled in his sleep, his tail starting to slowly thump as he pulled his mate closer. Dawn smiled, always enjoying snuggling close to Vernon, yet let out a sigh, knowing full well that they didn't have time to savor being in one another's embrace this particular morning.

"No, Vernon, we need to get up and get ready. Today's the day we're bringing our little lambs home," Dawn said. The wolf's eyes shot wide open at that, just before he sat bolt upright with Dawn in his arms, the sudden motion making Dawn let out a surprised squeak.

"Teeth to tails, Honey Lamb!" he said as he set her down and scrambled out of bed and rushed out of their room. Dawn let out a sigh and smiled after her mate, hearing his voice coming back in from the hall.

"Hurry up, Lamb Chop, we don't wanna be late!" Dawn rolled her eyes a little before hopping down off their bed and following her mate's excited lead. After a very quick shower and a light breakfast for the two, Vernon drove them down to the Children's Center with ten minutes to spare.

"This is it," Vernon said, his voice a whisper, "it's actually about to happen."

Dawn looked over at her mate and saw that his face was a reflection of her own emotions. It was a mix of excitement and nervousness. She reached over with a hoof and took his paw into hers, squeezing it.

"It really is, Puppy," she said soothingly, watching as a smile broke out onto her mate's muzzle; "let's go get our children."

Vernon nodded, leaning over to bring his muzzle close to hers.

"I love you, Dawn," he said just before their lips made contact. Their kiss only lasted for a moment before they ended it.

"I love you, Vernon," the ewe said after they broke apart. They got out of the SUV, and made their way towards the entrance. The sky was cloudless and bright, the sunlight glinting on the polished bronze of the sign out front. Vernon reached down to take his mate's hoof as they strode towards the door that stood between them and their children. His tail slowly started to wag as he opened the door for his wife and followed her inside. They were greeted by Amanda, the kangaroo seeming just as excited as the couple felt. She led them to the couches where they'd first met the three and had them wait while she went to go and collect them.

She returned shortly afterwards, ushering the little pup, the lamb, and the mystery mammal into the room. Alice was standing defensively in front of her brother and sister, with Lily holding Trevor's hoof. Today Alice was wearing a green shirt with white shorts. Trevor was wearing a shirt as black as his wool, again with the _Adolescent Mutant Samurai Snakes_ on the front and a pair of jeans. Lily was wearing a bright blue T-shirt and jeans. All three had little suitcases to take their possessions with them.

"Hey there, pups," Vernon said, attempting to break the building nervous tension. His tail thumped happily on the couch, eliciting a giggle from Lily. Alice turned to look at her sister, her own tail beginning to wag at the sight of Lily smiling. Trevor tried to suppress his own giggle, not doing a particularly good job. Alice turned back to the couple sitting on the couch.

 _These ones are actually going through with it_ , the little she-wolf thought to herself.

"Hello," Alice said, her brother and sister echoing her greeting after getting their giggles under control, "so do we get to go home with you now?" Alice always preferred to get right to the point.

"Absolutely," Dawn said, just wanting to rush over and envelop all three of the little lambs in a hug. She held back on that instinct, feeling that such an action might frighten them, especially little Lily.

"You really mean it?" Trevor's voice piped up, looking both excited and worried.

"We really do," Vernon said gently, smiling as his tail started to wag even faster, prompting another giggle from the little mystery mammal. "And just what's so darn funny?" he asked in a comical voice. Alice looked from Vernon to Lily and smiled, an action that Dawn and Vernon both noticed.

After that, the children all said their goodbyes to Amanda, who leaned down to hug each of them in turn. The kangaroo seemed a little sad at saying goodbye to the children, yet happy that they had found a home. Dawn and Vernon could barely contain themselves as they packed up their new children's belongings, and helped them into their individual booster seats in the back. The drive back home was filled with happy chatter, yet Dawn did notice that along the way, more than a few mammals who spotted Lily looked at her oddly. She also took note of how anxious Lily started to appear as a result. She was just about to say some words of comfort to her when her brother beat her to it.

"Everything's gunna be okay, Lily," the little black lamb said as he reached over to his sister and gave her a hug. Lily immediately calmed down as she hugged him back. Dawn smiled at the sweetness of the display.

"That's right, Princess," Vernon chipped in, smiling as he looked back at them in the rearview mirror. The wolf's heart swelled with pride at how her face just lit up at being given the nickname. They all arrived home safely, the children all straining to look at their new home with wide eyes as the car pulled into the driveway. As they got out, Dawn noticed how, now that they were in an unfamiliar setting, they naturally seemed to huddle close to one another, with Alice taking a natural stance in front.

 _She's their protector,_ Dawn thought. She held a hoof out to the little wolf, who looked at it oddly, before slowly taking it in her paw. Dawn smiled warmly at her new children and led them inside, while Vernon opted to get their luggage from the car. They showed their children to the rooms that they had set up for them, Dawn still holding Alice's paw.

"We get our own rooms?" she asked, surprised.

"You sure do, sweetheart," Dawn said, once more just barely resisting the urge to pull them into a hug, still wanting to take things slow with them.

"And we went and got y'all some things we thought you would like. But if there's anything there that you don't want, then don't be afraid to tell us. We won't mind taking it back," Vernon said as he carried their suitcases into the appropriate bedrooms. He saw how Trevor was eyeing the bookshelf in his room, clearly already smitten with the selection of fantasy and sci-fi.

 _Like mother, like son,_ Vernon thought with a chuckle.

"A-And this stuff is really... all ours?" Trevor asked, looking up at Vernon with a pair of wide brown eyes.

"Yup," Vernon said, "if you want 'em."

Alice looked like she wanted to practically pounce on her new soccer ball, and Lily smiled at the easel in her room. She then turned back to Dawn and Vernon, who had taken a step back to watch the children, and looked at them quizzically.

"Does this mean we get to call you 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' now?" she asked candidly. Both her brother and sister turned first to look at their little sister, and then turned to look at the couple.

"Well," Dawn said, feeling Vernon take her hoof in his paw, "only if you're comfortable with it."

There was another uncomfortable silence before Lily, much to the surprise of both Trevor and Alice, stepped towards the wolf and the ewe, and then silently started to hold her arms out. Dawn couldn't resist any longer and let go of Vernon's paw to embrace her new youngest daughter. She was careful not to hug too tight, yet she held her close, her eyes becoming hot and prickly with the sensation of oncoming tears of joy.

She still had no clue as to what the little mammal was - even at age six, she was already taller than herself - but she didn't care. She was hugging her daughter close, and that was all that mattered. She looked up at Trevor and Alice, and offered them a place in the hug as well. Trevor was quick to join in, followed by Alice, the pup's tail slowly starting to wag. Once all three were embracing Dawn, Vernon kneeled down and reached around to hug all of them together.

They all started to settle in after the family hug. The kids were shown around the house, as well as the backyard, with Alice getting excited at the idea of a treehouse that Vernon floated by them. After lunch, Vernon played with them out in the backyard, while Dawn elected to call up their friends and family, to update them all on how everything had gone.

The first one she called was Judy, who promptly answered excitedly, once more hinting that she was going to be working on Nick about adoption again. Dawn smiled when she heard the russet fox groan in the background. She was a little surprised to hear Vanna let out a squeal when she described how everything had been going so far, and once more promised that she would get to meet her new nieces and nephew. There was a similar reaction from Audrey, who was so excited to learn that she was finally a grandmother, and who let out another excited howl. Dawn also spoke to Dorian, who seemed to find it interesting that little Alice was so naturally protective, hinting that maybe she was going to be naturally cut out for a career in law enforcement, before Audrey cut him off, and made Dawn promise that they would bring their grandpups up to meet them very soon.

Before they knew it, the afternoon started to become evening. She got started on dinner, making fish filets for Vernon and Alice, while making veggie burgers for herself, Trevor, and Lily. While unsure of what species she was, her file had said that a diet of fruits and vegetables was safe for her to eat. It had also suggested that she was an omnivore, based on her teeth, but they would wait until after the pediatrician appointment before serving her meat. Dinner was a happy affair, with a lot of back and forth questions. Dawn and Vernon asked their new children about themselves, and the three responded in kind.

After dinner, they all lounged in the living room, watching some family-friendly TV. At around eight thirty, Lily let out a yawn, which Trevor and Alice found to be contagious. The kids brushed their teeth and changed into their pajamas, Trevor once more wearing something with the Samurai Snakes on it, having confirmed that it was one of his favorite shows. Vernon read Lily a bedtime story, and Dawn did the same for Trevor. Alice had seemed reluctant to be tucked in by Dawn, but didn't outright refuse. It was as Dawn was closing the door, having turned off the light and wished Alice a good night, that the pup let out a whimper.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Dawn asked. The pup looked like she was struggling to answer, and continued to whimper a little.

"C-Can I have the light on?" she asked, the problem suddenly becoming obvious to the ewe.

 _Alright, adding a night light to the list,_ Dawn said as she walked over to her pup's bed, planting a loving kiss on Alice's forehead.

"Of course, sweetie," she said, now noticing the stuffed grey rabbit plush toy that Alice was trying to hide behind her back, its long ears poking out from behind her, "and you know that if you need anything, we're just down the hall, okay?"

"Okay..." the pup said, now looking more embarrassed than scared. Dawn kissed her once more on the forehead, seeing her daughter's tail wag a little under the covers, before saying good night once more and shutting the door behind her, leaving a bedside lamp on. Dawn, after changing into a nightgown, climbed into bed with Vernon, snuggling close into his fur, burying her face in his chest ruff.

"Vernon?" she asked, looking up into his eyes.

"Yes, Darlin'?" he asked back, smiling down at her.

"We're a mommy and daddy now." Her voice was full of wonder. Vernon snuggled closer to his mate, and the two lay like that. They both tried to go to sleep, but their excitement was once more keeping them up. After another half an hour, they both decided to get up, and check in on their children. Dawn's heart skipped a beat when she quietly opened Alice's bedroom door, to find the pup missing from her bed. Vernon looked just as worried as Dawn after he poked his head into Trevor's room, the little lamb also missing. They both, panicking, went to check on Lily. Right there, underneath the covers on Lily's much larger bed, were Alice and Trevor, with Lily in the middle. They were all snuggled close, sleeping peacefully.

Vernon let out a quiet sigh of relief as Dawn's fast-beating heart began to slow back down. The two new parents looked on and watched the three sleep. They stayed there, just watching, feeling a wave of emotion wash over them, before finally heading back to bed. They smiled as they cuddled close, the day feeling like a dream to them both. They were both thrilled at the prospect of waking up tomorrow as parents.

 **And there you have it, folks! Please feel free to leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Vernon smiled as his eyes slowly cracked open, drinking in the morning light as it drifted in through the open window. He yawned and stretched, his tail letting out a few thumps on the mattress as he reached out to instinctively cuddle his ewe close. Not finding her diminutive form helped rouse the wolf from his sleep-addled state, and he sat up. As he looked around their room, a smile graced his muzzle as his ears perked and followed the sounds of children laughing. His and Dawn's children. Their pups.

Not wasting any time, even to take care of his bedfur, Vernon scrambled out of bed and made his way out into the hall. He peeked inside the bedrooms of his newly adopted pups as he passed, seeing all three empty. His mind flitted back to the first night after bringing them home, how all three had decided to sleep together in the same bed. In the two weeks since the adoption, Dawn and Vernon had made it a habit to check in on the kids each night. They usually all slept in their own beds, but every now and again they would sleep together, a sight that warmed the wolf and ewe's hearts.

Vernon made his way downstairs, where the laughter was loudest, to find his youngest pup, Lily, sitting on the couch. She was smiling as she colored on a piece of paper with a set of crayons. They had still not yet been able to discern any new information about her species, but that mattered little to Vernon. The wolf had already come to think of Lily as his little princess.

She was looking up and giggling at the sight of her big sister, Alice, and her big brother, Trevor, wrestling and giggling. The little black wolf pup's tail was wagging in excitement as she pinned the little black lamb and proceeded to tickle him. Normally Trevor was quite timid, but Vernon and Dawn had noted that he seemed to have become a bit more comfortable in their time living with them, and broken a bit out of his shell. Alice was easily the most outgoing of all three. She loved playing games, especially soccer, wrestling and, much to Dawn's fear, climbing things.

"Uncle!" Trevor said in between uncontrollable giggles. Alice hopped off of the lamb before turning to face her sister.

"Your turn, Lily!" Alice said, advancing slowly on the little furless mammal with both paws held out as if to pounce. Lily let out a yelp and hopped down from the couch, the soft brown mane of fur atop her head waving to and fro, and started to run behind the couch. Alice let out a happy yip as she gave chase. Lily came around the other side and, spotting Vernon, made a beeline for him, her arms outstretched.

"Save me, Daddy!" Lily squealed as she practically leapt into Vernon's arms. Vernon wagged his tail and chuckled. He felt a warmth in his heart once again at being called Daddy. Lily had been the first of the three to start calling them Mommy and Daddy. Trevor followed after the first week. Alice seemed to be having trouble with it, which Dawn and Vernon both made sure to assure her that that was just fine. She could call them by their first names if she desired.

"Well now, what have we here? A little princess being chased by a little tickle monster?" Vernon said in his deep rumbling voice. Lily hugged him around his neck and giggled while Alice couldn't hold back her own laughter.

"Uh-huh!" Lily said, nodding emphatically.

"But then, wait? Why would you so willingly jump into the claws of an even bigger tickle monster?" Vernon asked in mock surprise. Lily's eyes went wide as she tried to wriggle out of Vernon's grip before he started tickling her. Lily burst out laughing while Alice giggled and wagged her tail.

"Wait a minute... did I just hear another little princess for the giant tickle monster to capture as well?" Vernon asked, now the one to be advancing on the pup. Alice let out a squeak, and tried to scamper away, before finding herself right next to Lily in Vernon's arms, being tickled mercilessly.

"Mwaha-ha-ha! I have you now!" Vernon said, suddenly noticing Dawn peeking in from the kitchen, smiling, and snapping some pictures with her phone.

"Mornin', Honey Lamb," Vernon said as he set the girls down and turned to address his mate.

"Good morning, Puppy," the little ewe responded. Vernon strode right over to her and bent down to plant a kiss on her cheek. Just as she was standing on her tip-hooves, Vernon's nose started twitching.

"Didja go and make breakfast today?" Vernon asked, smelling the Prench toast.

"Sure did, Puppy Love." They both chose to ignore the snickering coming from the children as a result of their pet names for one another. "I figured that today was worth a special treat."

"Why's that?" Vernon asked, frowning a little as he tried to remember the day's significance.

"Today's the day that our little lambs meet their auntie Qali and uncle Trenton," Dawn reminded her mate as she turned to the children.

"Alright, kids, breakfast is ready," Dawn said, trying to stifle a giggle as Alice and Trevor were tickle-wrestling once more, only to quickly break apart and start running towards the kitchen, with Lily in tow.

"No running in the house," Dawn said, no true sternness to her voice. Vernon even noticed how the little ewe said it with a smile, knowing how excited she still was to be a mother.

"Sorry, Mommy," Lily said, the apology echored by her siblings. The three made their way to the kitchen table, their new parents following behind. Dawn just couldn't believe the feeling of joy she experienced every time Lily called her Mommy. Just before the kids could take their seats, Dawn rushed over to give them each a hug. She let go of a slightly embarrassed-looking, yet happy Alice just before her phone started to buzz. Dawn pulled it out, adjusting her glasses, to find that she had received a text from Qali.

It was a series of izoojis of arctic fox faces with hearts for eyes along with the message 'Will be over to meet kits ASAP! YAY!', followed by more happy arctic fox izoojis.

"It looks like Qali is going to be arriving a little earlier than expected," Dawn said, gazing at her mate.

"But we had agreed on noon!" Vernon said, looking up at the clock over the sink. It was currently five minutes after nine.

"Puppy, it's Qali. I think we both knew that that was a pipe dream at best," Dawn said with a giggle. Vernon sighed and rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Yeah, I s'pose you're right, Darlin'," he said, cracking a smile. The children had watched while eating, and all shared a look. Noticing the subdued expression on his pups' faces, Vernon frowned a little.

"What's the matter, pups?"

"Uhm..." Lily started, looking to Alice who smiled reassuringly and nodded.

"Uh... i-is a-auntie Qali nice?" Lily said, looking at the two of them with wide, deep blue eyes. Vernon chuckled and reached over to ruffle his youngest pup's headfur.

"She's very nice, and she's just gunna love all three of y'all. She just happens to be incredibly hyperactive," Vernon assured them all. Not wanting to make any of the pups feel left out, he then ruffled the headfur of Alice and Trevor, who both protested while giggling. With the knowledge of the energetic arctic vixen's imminent arrival, the new family made quick work of breakfast, before Dawn and Vernon and the kids all scrambled to change out of their pj's and to dress nicely. The little ewe had just finished the final touches of her trademark headpuff when she heard the doorbell ring rapidly.

"They're here," Vernon said with a chuckle, looking forward to finally introducing their pups to the first of the rest of their family, wanting to slowly acclimate them. He passed the kids on the stairs, smiling down at Trevor who was wearing the new AMSS shirt that Dawn had bought for him. Lily was wearing her new white sundress, and Alice was in her well-worn jeans and a new blue T-shirt.

All three looked excited, as well as a little nervous still, especially Lily, who was hugging her sister's tail for comfort. Dawn trailed after, gently herding and reassuring the children down into the living room. Only when Vernon gripped the doorknob did the ringing cease. He opened the front door and was about to greet his brother and his sister-in-law, when a small white blur darted past him.

Vernon turned to see Qali come to a halt just in front of the pups, her tail wagging.

"Oh... my... gods... you're all so cute!" Qali squealed just before she tried to pounce, a quick-thinking Dawn intercepting her with a hug.

"Hi there, Qali, it's been a while," Dawn said. Vernon greeted his brother, Trenton, and led him inside.

"Hiya, Trenny, glad you two could make it," Vernon said.

"Heya, Vern," the white wolf said, clapping his brother on the back. Trenton spied Dawn physically holding his mate back from snuggling up their nieces and nephew.

"Trent, Qali, we'd like for you to meet our pups," Vernon said, walking over to stand next to them as they all eyed Qali, who was starting to calm down.

"Alice, Trevor, Lily, this is your auntie Qali and your uncle Trenton," Vernon said.

"Well, hi there, pups," Trenton said. He and Qali received a shy chorus of helloes back, with Lily nervously ducking behind Vernon's leg to peek around. Now a bit more under control, Dawn released her sister-in-law. Qali slowly walked over to the children, still grinning excitedly.

"Hello there, sweetie," she said, looking Alice up and down and holding her arms out. "I take it that you're Alice, right?"

Alice nodded and hesitated before opening her own arms. Qali quickly, but gently, closed the gap and hugged the little wolf. She repeated the process with Trevor, telling him that she liked his shirt, before finally turning her attention to Lily. Lily was still nervously peeking out from around Vernon's leg.

"And you must be my littlest niece, Lily," Qali said, her tail wagging. Lily giggled and nodded, looking a little torn between safely hiding behind the large wolf's leg, and stepping out to hug the arctic vixen. After another moment's hesitation, Lily did just that, giggling as Qali sniffed her niece, committing her scent to memory.

"That tickles, auntie Qali!" Lily squealed in laughter.

"You have got the cutest little headmane!" Qali said, snuffling through Lily's headfur, making her laugh and fall over.

"Alright, Qali," Trent said, catching his mate's attention, "let's not overwhelm them."

"But," Qali started, looking a little disappointed, before sighing and stepping back over to his side. After that initial awkwardness, the adults took a seat in the living room while the kids started to play.

"So an entire litter of yer own," Trenton said, letting out a low whistle. He looked down and nudged Qali, who was staring at Lily and wagging her big bushy tail.

"I wonder if she'll let me play with her headmane?" Qali leaned up to whisper in her mate's ear. Trent rolled his eyes as he draped an arm around her shoulder.

"Qali, we talked about this. We gotta go slow, so we don't scare 'em," Trenton said, while Qali let out a huff and started to pout a little. Dawn snickered behind her hooves.

"Maybe, if'n you don't just spring it on her out of the blue," Vernon, whispered. Qali opened her muzzle to speak, but closed it when, while Alice was busy trying wrestle with Trevor, Lily walked over, holding a piece of paper behind her back. She stood in front of her aunt and uncle, looking nervous.

"Uhm..." Lily started, looking down at her feet.

"What is it, princess?" Vernon asked.

"I drew a picture for Auntie Qali and Uncle Trenny," Lily said. Qali cooed while Trenton beamed down at his niece.

"Well, I'll bet that it's a masterpiece," the law wolf said. Lily smiled and slowly held out the paper, which was from a sheet of coloring paper that Dawn had also thought to get. Qali and Trent both thanked Lily as they took the page, and looked it over. On the page was a drawing, much better and a bit more detailed than what Trent and Qali had been expecting, showing the two of them hugging.

"Oh, wow," Qali said, looking at her niece in amazement, "this is wonderful! Thank you, sweetie!" Lily smiled, happy that they had liked her drawing. "Can I please play with your headmane? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

Lily was surprised by her hyper aunt's sudden question, but nodded, unsure of what she had in mind. She took a seat right next to the vixen, who immediately set to work braiding her headfur. Lily had never had her hair braided, and so didn't know how she was supposed to feel at that moment. However, in a matter of minutes, Qali announced that she was done, and held up a pocket mirror for Lily to see. Lily smiled as she looked at her braided ponytail.

"Thanks, Auntie Qali!" Lily said, turning to hug the vixen. Qali hugged the curious little mammal back. Lily broke off the hug to rush over and show Dawn and Vernon. "Auntie Qali made me look like a princess!" Lily was hopping from one foot to the next in excitement.

"She sure did," Dawn said, cooing. Trevor took the first opportunity he got to shake off his sister, and rushed over to the couch, clambering up into Vernon's lap.

"Awww, no fair!" Alice said with a huff, before spying Lily, her muzzle splitting into a grin. Lily saw the look on Alice's face and recognized it. She smiled and waited for the wolf pup to pounce, which she promptly did, and immediately started to tickle her. Alice burst out into laughter as she tried to squirm about to try to break free and try another pounce attack on her big little sister.

"I take it that someone's done with wrestling for now," Vernon said, ruffling the headfur of the black lamb in his lap. Trevor looked up and let out a sigh.

"It's fun for a little while, but Alice never wants to give up until she wins," Trevor half-heartedly complained.

"There is a lot to be said for persistence," Trenton offered to his nephew, making everyone laugh.

"Now why is it that it's always to Daddy that you three run to, hmm?" Dawn asked in mock-seriousness. Trevor started to look uncomfortable, so Vernon leaned forward to give him a hug.

"He's just protectin' his big and little sister," Vernon said, making the lamb look up in confusion. Vernon shot him a quick wink.

"Everyone already knows that you go to Mommy only if you want the big guns brought out," Vernon said, reaching over a paw to pat down on Dawn's white head poof, eliciting a giggle from her, from Trevor, from Qali, and both of the girls who had stopped their wrestling when Dawn had asked her question.

"Well, that's true," Dawn said.

Overall, the visit was a pleasant experience. Qali played around with Lily's braid some more, as well as with Trevor's wool. She had to dodge a pounce from Alice, tickling her niece as 'punishment'. Trenton asked the three some of their likes and dislikes, already some gift ideas in mind. The couple stayed for lunch, and observed Vernon playing with the pups in the backyard. In lieu of wrestling, Alice seemed to very much enjoy kicking the soccer ball around with the large wolf and her siblings, and even Dawn, despite the ewe proving her less-than-stellar athleticism. The visit came to an end, with Qali and Trent hugging each of the pups and Vernon and Dawn before saying their goodbyes, and Qali promising to return with a bunch of presents.

Trenton chuckled and smiled at his brother, internally amazed at how naturally he and Dawn had seemed as parents. He sent a text saying as much to their mother, knowing that the she-wolf was hungry for any and all details pertaining to her new role as Grandma.

"They're just so CUTE!" Qali said once they were in the car and driving off.

"That they are," Trent said, happy with how the day had gone.

"I wonder what Lily is, thought?" Qali mused more to herself than to Trent.

"I was wondering the same thing. Something about her seemed oddly familiar," Trenton said aloud.

"REALLY?!" Qali, in one fluid motion, unbuckled her seatbelt and leapt onto her mate's muzzle, causing the suddenly panicked white wolf to swerve before pulling over to peel his mate off of his face.

"You've seen her somewhere before?!" Qali asked, completely unaware of the possible accident she could have caused.

"No, today's the first time I've ever met her. There's just something about her that seems so familiar to me," Trent explained.

"Oh?"

"I've got some things to look into, Qali," Trenton said as he pulled back onto the road. He would say no more, despite his energetic mate's persistent questioning.

Back at the Hunter household, Dawn was typing on her laptop, checking her emails. The kids were each taking turns on the new gaming system that had been bought, a Shift. Presently it was Trevor vs. Lily in a surprisingly intense game, while Vernon was playing with Alice in the backyard. Dawn smiled, having not expected the unlimited amount of energy in the little wolf pup. Her gaze drifted back to Trevor and Lily, settling on the mystery mammal that was her youngest daughter. While the butterflies still returned at the notion of that thought, Dawn also felt a sense of worry. To have no idea of one's own species, let alone any form of culture for one to draw on, would have to be a very lonely feeling.

 _And then there's possible medical questions_ , Dawn thought, a quick bubble of worry that came and went in a flash.

 _She deserves to know something,_ Dawn thought as she clicked on an email from Mayor Snow. _And there has got to be something out there to find._

Vernon was presently focused on Alice and keeping up with her. He had noticed how much he had doted on Lily, and was determined to ensure that all of his pups got equal attention, and all knew that they were loved equally.

"Gotta be quicker than that, Alice," Vernon said, just barely stopping the ball from whizzing right by him. He kicked it back to his pup, her tail wagging.

"Try that!" Alice said, kicking the ball while giving it a little spin. Her trick worked, as the ball swerved just out of Vernon's reach. He had initially considered just letting her win, but he quickly found that he would have to put in quite a bit of effort just to keep up.

"So, have you ever played on a soccer team?" Vernon asked, retrieving the ball.

"No, but I always wanted to!" Alice said, a note of disappointment in her voice.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that," Vernon said, setting the ball down and giving it a kick.

"Really?" Alice asked, her excitement making her miss the ball.

"You'd better believe it, princess," Vernon said with a grin. Alice ran over to the ball and started kicking it along. She wasn't sure of just what she was supposed to say or do in this moment, so she elected to stick with a happy 'Thank you'.

"You're more than welcome, sweetie," Vernon said.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello there readers! Here I have for you today the newest chapter of _Found_! Please feel free to leave a review!**

"Nervous, sweetie?" Dawn asked Lily as she held her daughter's paw, walking towards the school. North Mammalia Elementary, one of the best schools that Dawn and Vernon had looked at within their price range. The end of summer had quickly come, on the heels of Trenton and Qali's visit, with Dawn and Vernon scrambling with the back to school shopping

"A little," the little mammal said. Lily was hugging her new backpack with her free arm. It was bright pink and emblazoned with characters from Lily's favorite show, Our Mini Ostriches. Dawn smiled and pulled Lily into a hug, not caring how odd it looked to some of the parents that the little ewe was hugging a child almost as tall as herself. She ignored them as they led their children into the school. The lawn was perfectly manicured in front, with a walkway leading towards the front entrance. The large glass double-doors were wide open, showing a glimpse of the white interior that matched the color of the bricks of the school's exterior.

"That's perfectly natural," Dawn said as she let go and stood back, looking Lily in her deep blue eyes. "But don't you worry. Mommy and Daddy will be here to pick you up after school, and your brother and sister will be here too." Lily smiled at that, hugging Dawn back.

"I'm glad that you became my mommy," she said, making Dawn coo. The ewe released her daughter, kissing her on the forehead before taking her by the paw and walking her to her class. Dawn led Lily to the first grade classroom, which had already filled up with several small children, some of whom where clutching at their parents, crying. Dawn waited with Lily as Vernon did with Trevor, just down the hall.

He had offered to escort Alice to her classroom, but the little wolf excitedly said she could find it herself. She had been embarrassed, but happy, when the much larger wolf had given his pup a hug just before she ran off. He held Trevor's hoof as he led the little lamb to his classroom. Trevor was nervous, which was obvious to Vernon from how he kept trying to hide behind his legs.

"Hey there, buddy," Vernon said as they made it to the door of the classroom, the chattering of children just beyond it. He knelt down right next to Trevor, and opened his arms into a hug, which the black lamb quickly accepted.

"I know that a new place can be pretty scary," Vernon said as he patted Trevor's back. "But I'll be getting off work early today to pick you and your sisters up, with Mommy, of course."

"I know, Daddy," Trevor said, he and Vernon getting a couple weird looks from some of the children entering.

"And no matter what, we love you, and you're gunna make us proud." Vernon's tail wagged at the smile on Trevor's muzzle, and he gave him one more hug before letting go and saying his goodbye. Trevor took an empty seat next to a little cheetah girl, and waved once to Vernon who waved back, before leaving.

Vernon let out a sigh as he got back into the minivan, with Dawn right behind him. He felt a weight settle at the bottom of his stomach, his ears drooping.

"Oh, Puppy Love," Dawn said as she reached over to pull Vernon closer for a hug.

"I didn't think that it would feel this... bad, just droppin' 'em off fer school," Vernon said, a whine escaping his throat before he could stop it.

"That's because we've spent almost a month bonding with our new pups, and now we have to be without them," Dawn explained, standing up to kiss her mate on the muzzle. "You're just being a good father." That made his tail start to thump against the seat, at least a little.

"Maybe... but it still doesn't feel good, Lamb Chop," Vernon said as he started the ignition. Dawn frowned as she buckled her seatbelt.

"I know, Puppy," Dawn sighed as she sat back in her seat, knowing exactly how her mate felt. It was a short drive to their house where Vernon dropped her off before heading in to work. Dawn entered the home and made her way over to her laptop. She smiled at the new desktop wallpaper, which was a picture of Vernon and the pups asleep on the couch. Alice was leaning into his side, his large arm draped over the little wolf's shoulder. Trevor was sitting in his lap, eyes closed as he leaned up against Vernon's belly, right next to Lily, who was curled up into a ball, Vernon's other arm draped over her. They had all fallen asleep watching a movie, and Dawn was the first to wake. She took the picture immediately, before waking Vernon so he could help her tuck them into bed.

Dawn pulled her head out of the heartwarming memory, and checked her emails. The email she had received from the mayor hadn't led to anything concrete, so Dawn checked to see if a few more possible sources had responded back yet, and so far none of them had. She sighed, and instead opened up the latest chapter of her new book. She had a few new ideas she wanted to implement. But just before she got started, a sudden thought of her mother and Audrey popped into her head.

 _I feel like I'm forgetting something important..._ Dawn thought to herself, racking her brain over what it was that she had forgotten, before it hit her.

 _I forgot to send them the pictures of the lambs?!_ Dawn panicked as she checked her sent folder to find that she had indeed completely forgotten to send them the pictures. She scrambled as she made a folder with her favorite pictures taken so far, her hooves clacking on her keyboard as she typed out the apology, and sent a copy to both of the waiting grandmothers.

"Oh dear," Dawn said aloud, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. Audrey and Clover had both called, asking about when they would be getting some pictures. Thinking on it for a second, she then started to send out pictures to the rest of their family and friends.

* * *

Vernon pulled in to City Hall, making sure to straighten his tie as he made his way in, heading for the Department of Architecture. Despite the heavy feeling in his stomach, Vernon's tail gave a little wag as he entered the main office, making a beeline for his workspace.

 _Hopefully a little work can help get my mind off of my pups' first day at their new school,_ Vernon thought to himself just as a cheerful beaver approached his desk, while Vernon opened up his plans for the new library in Sahara Square.

"Hiya, Vern," Robert said, chewing on one of his apricot-flavored wooden dowels, "got done dropping your kits off for their first day at their new school, eh?"

Vernon's ears drooped back down, his tail attempting to tuck itself between his legs despite the fact that he was seated.

"Something wrong?" Robert asked, taking the dowel out as he spoke.

"I guess I'm just worried about them," Vernon said with a sigh, looking down at the plans.

"Makes sense," Robert said, taking a sip of coffee from his Snarlbucks cup, "there hasn't been a day that you've been here that you haven't gushed about them."

"Well, sure I mentioned them once or twice," Vernon said, looking sidelong at the beaver.

"Once or twice? Nononono, you spent an entire hour wondering how you were going to encourage Alice's love of soccer without making her feel pressured, while also showing anyone who would stand still pictures."

"I was mostly thinkin' out loud," Vernon defended.

"And then you were worrying about letting Trevor watch some of the older, more violent episodes of those Samurai Snakes, and what Dawn would have to say on the matter."

"Well, they are really violent! Especially fer a seven-year-old!"

"And then you went on about how cute you thought Lily following you around was, interspersed with your grumbling after Leona said that she was going to be pretty when she grew up," Robert said, finishing ticking off the different instances on his paw.

"What she said was that Lily was gonna to be quite the beauty with all of the boys clamorin' fer her attention," Vernon let out a huff at the thought, which turned into a low growl. Robert chuckled before taking another sip of coffee.

"My point being," Robert said with a jovial roll of his eyes, "maybe a little time apart from them will be good for you. Probably for Dawn as well."

"Well thanks, Rob," Vernon abruptly said, pointedly turning his attention back to the schematics before him. "But if'n you don't mind, I gotta get back to work on this project."

"Right-o," Robert said, pulling out his dowel from his shirt pocket and strolling back the way he came. Vernon delved back into his project, his excitement slowly growing as the building once more took shape in his mind.

* * *

Trevor smiled as he scribbled in the answers he knew to be correct on the test before him. Granted his new teacher, Mr. Hornberg, emphasized how this test was nothing to worry about, it was just to show him where everyone was at in their education, and who needed some help in some places. Trevor always got excited whenever he took a test and knew every answer. Making sure to show his work for the math questions, the little lamb finished by signing his name at the top, along with the day's date, and set his mechanical pencil down.

"Alright, class," the rhinoceros in the sweater vest and slacks said after a few more minutes of scribbling as the last few stragglers finished up as quickly as they could, "pass your tests up to the front."

Trevor did so, catching the eye of a young white tigress. He waved his hoof as she stared back at him. Starting to feel a little self-conscious, Trevor put his hoof down, but still the tigress stared, at least until the teacher cleared his throat.

"Now, class, your first assignment, while I go over your tests, is going to be a writing assignment about how you spent your summer vacation," Mr. Hornberg said, collecting the stacks of papers and carrying them over to his desk. Trevor pulled out his notebook and promptly got started.

 _This summer, me and my sisters got adopted. Our new mommy and daddy are really nice. Our mommy is a sheep, like me, and our daddy is a wolf, like my big sister Alice._ Trevor's smile returned as he wrote.

* * *

"Okay, kids, let's go around the class and introduce ourselves to each other." The giraffe, who had introduced herself as Mrs. Dalis at the start of the class, clapped her hooves together as she beamed at the children who were all seated with their desks in a semi-circle around her. "Let's each say three things about ourselves as we do it. Emma, why don't you start us off?"

A little vixen starting at the right end of the semi-circle smiled, missing a tooth. "Hi, I'm Emma Noctus! I lost a tooth a few days ago, I just turned six, and I have a pet salamander named Dragon!"

"Very good, Emma," Mrs. Dalis praised, motioning for the little squirrel boy, sitting in a much smaller desk on a larger desk right next to Emma, going clockwise.

"Uh... I-I'm Timmy. I, uh, I like to go camping with my big brother, I have a goldfish and... uh... OH! I can ride a bike without training wheels!" He said the last part very proudly.

Now it was Lily's turn. She could feel more than a few eyes glued to her, the little panther boy in the next seat leaning back a bit, sniffing the air around her.

"My name's Lily. I like to draw and color, I have a big brother and a big sister, and my favorite color is pink!"

"What are you?" the panther boy next to her asked, leaning in close to be able to smell her better.

"Andrew, it's not polite to smell others," Mrs. Dalis very lightly admonished.

"Sorry," he said, looking sheepish.

"That's okay," Lily said, "wanna be friends?"

"Okay!" Andrew said, looking just as excited as Lily felt.

* * *

"Psst." Alice's ears perked as she looked up from her test to regard the one who had gotten her attention. It was another wolf pup, this one a male with a grey fur coat. "Who was that sheep that came in with you and your dad?" he whispered.

Alice frowned. "That's my baby brother," Alice whispered back, the horse teacher writing on the board, unaware of the conversation.

"But he's a sheep," the wolf said, looking confused.

"So what? You gotta problem with that?" Alice asked, baring her teeth.

"N-no," the little wolf boy said, looking nervous.

"Good, keep it that way," Alice said, turning back to her test.

* * *

The final bell of the day rang, and there was a literal stampede as the suddenly freed students rushed for the exits. Alice hung back, first spotting Trevor and grabbing his hoof in her paw, leading him down the hall. Mrs. Dalis was leading her class out, and Lily was happily talking to Andrew. Alice smiled as she saw her baby sister talking excitedly with the panther boy. Trevor and Alice hovered close to Lily and the group of first-graders as their teacher waited with them out front. The three did not have to wait long. Shortly after they exited, the large frame of Vernon could be seen approaching, his tail a blur behind him. Once he spotted his pups, he dropped to one knee and opened his arms.

"DADDY!" Lily yelled with joy as she ran forward, Trevor, having let go of Alice's paw, rushing just behind her. Vernon scooped both up into a big hug, setting them down just as Alice made it to him, seeing Dawn approaching her to hug as well. Alice blushed, grateful that it wasn't visible beneath her black fur, but hugged back, her own tail wagging.

"So how was your first day, sweetie?" Dawn asked as she held her hoof out for Alice to take, which she did after a moment's hesitation.

"It was okay," Alice said as they all made their way back to the car, Vernon having perched Trevor and Lily on his shoulders.

"Just okay? Not super-duper awesome?" Vernon asked, leaning over as he did so. Alice broke into a smile at his question.

"N-No, it was just fine!" Alice insisted.

"Really now?" Vernon said, amid a chorus of giggles coming from his shoulders as he held a paw up to his chin, pretending to ponder this. "I gotta say, that there's a mighty suspicious smile for a little pup who only had themselves an 'okay' kind of day."

"It's true!" Alice said, her tail wagging.

"And that tail of yers is tellin' a different story too," Vernon said, opening the door of the car. He helped Lily and Trevor down into their seats, while Alice, after letting go of Dawn's hoof, clambered in as well. Dawn was holding back her own laughter. She climbed into the passenger seat, the fluttering sensation in her chest returning as she watched Vernon interact with their children.

"And what about you two?" Dawn asked as she turned in her seat, Vernon climbing in to the driver's seat. "How was your first day of school?"

"Oka-uh, it was fun," Trevor said, looking over at Alice as he said it, who crossed her arms over her chest and tried to pout, but the grin that refused to abandon her muzzle showed her true feelings. "We got to take a test, and I knew all of the answers!"

"That's wonderful, Trevor," Dawn praised. "And what about you, Lily?"

"It was great, Mommy!" Lily cheered from her seat. "I made a new friend! His name is Andrew, and he's a panther!"

"Oh really? I'm so happy for you, Lily!" Dawn said, feeling excitement. "Maybe we could set up a playdate sometime?" Dawn directed the question to Vernon, who perked right upon seeing the delighted expression on Lily's face.

"Well, I s'pose," he said, still in that playful voice as he started up the engine. They both took turns talking to the three, asking them about different parts of their day. The trip passed quickly, and soon they were pulling into their driveway. Dawn led them inside, smiling after her lambs as they all scampered up the stairs, peals of laughter wafting back down. She started when Vernon slipped a massive arm around her waist, but slipped an arm around his in return.

"Sorry I couldn't be there to help you pick it up, Lamb Chop," Vernon said, softly, so as not to alert the children to their surprise.

"That's okay, Puppy, I had it covered," Dawn said, giving Vernon a squeeze, before letting go and rushing off to grab the white boxes from the table in the kitchen. She came back, looking to Vernon with a nod, who wagged his tail, opening his muzzle to call up the stairs, but stopping when their pups all came rushing down, Trevor and Lily pursuing Alice.

"Two against one isn't fair!" Alice shrieked as the other two giggled in response. Alice came to a skidding halt at the foot of the stairs upon seeing Vernon standing right there. Trevor, who had been the closest to Alice, accidentally bowled her over, with Lily laughing and hopping on top of the two of them.

"Alright, you three," Vernon said, chuckling as he waved an arms at the couch in the living room, "go take a seat. We have a surprise fer y'all."

Not wasting a moment, Alice, Trevor, and Lily disentangled themselves and rushed over to the couch, all climbing up in excitement. Dawn walked over carrying three white boxes, each with one of the lambs' names on it, and set them down in front of them on the coffee table. The children all looked from Dawn to the boxes, puzzled.

"Your father and I decided that you three deserved a special treat for your first day back to school," Dawn said. That was all the explanation that they needed, as each box was hastily plucked from where it sat and opened. Alice ripped her box open and froze. She looked at what was inside, a white jersey with blue trim, _The Dragons_ emblazoned across the front, and the number 05 on the back. There was a matching pair of shorts, socks, and shin guards.

"You got me a soccer uniform?" Alice asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked up to ask.

"Well sure we did, can't go joinin' a team without wearin' the uniform," Vernon said, only getting the words out before a small black missile landed a direct hit right in the chest, Alice clinging to him in a tight hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Alice squeaked. Vernon hugged her back, nuzzling the top of the little wolf's head.

"You're welcome, Princess, but Mommy's the one who went and signed you up and picked out the uniform," Vernon explained, setting Alice down who immediately hugged the ewe. Dawn, looking a little like she was going to cry, laughed and hugged Alice back.

"COOL!" Trevor said, pulling out a player's handbook for a children's version of Beasts and Battlefields. Beneath that were a few more books, as well as a set of dice.

"That's my boy," Vernon said. He and Dawn both couldn't wait to help Trevor try out the game. The little lamb set his box aside and hurried down to hug and thank both Vernon and Dawn, Alice having let go of her adopted mother and rushed out of the living room with her box.

Lily was entranced by the contents of her own box. Inside were several sheets of canvas, some watercolor paints, brushes, and a smock. She said nothing, and simply smiled and crawled off the couch to join the hug along with Trevor. Alice returned, now wearing her uniform, letting out a sharp yip.

"It fits!" she exclaimed.

"It suits you, Princess," Vernon said, his phone suddenly buzzing. Vernon unlocked it and saw that he had received a text from his brother Ulric.

 _Where'd you find a shaved ape?! The interdimensional cephalopods are behind this!_ it read. Vernon rolled his eyes and elected to respond to Ulric's text later, wondering what he meant by a shaved ape. His phone buzzed again, surprised to see that it was from his brother Yuri.

 _What? Were they having a three for one sale? Or didja just get a good sale on that weird-looking one?_ Vernon let out a derisive snort just before his phone buzzed yet again, this time Ada chimed in.

 _I already gave Yuri an earful about that text. Both of our little nieces and our little nephew are adorable,_ was the hyena's text. Vernon smiled, glad that Yuri's mate was quick to rein him in, as she usually was.

* * *

"Dori!" Audrey yelled, her tail wagging in excitement. The older she wolf was looking about each room of the ranch as she called for her mate. "Dori!"

"Yes, Auddey?" Dorian rumbled as he entered through the back door, wiping his paws with a towel. He was still wearing his uniform, minus the hat and aviators. The white wolf smiled at his mate, just before he found himself in a near bone-crushing hug.

"They sent us some pictures of our new grandpups!" Audrey said, practically bouncing with excitement.

"That's great, Auddey," Dorian said as he was released, taking a moment to inhale and ensure that none of his ribs had been broken. "Did they explain why it took 'em so long to get around to sendin' us some pictures?"

"I don't know, I can't open the email," Audrey said, thumping Dorian on his shoulder at his rolling eyes. "Don't you start, mister," Audrey said with a sharp look.

Dorian chuckled, rubbing the spot on his shoulder as he strode past his mate, heading towards the living room. He walked over to the couch and took a seat before the opened laptop that Ulric had purchased for her one Mother's Day. His reasoning had been, as he had explained in the card, that the planets were dangerously close to coming misaligned. How that factored in to it, none of them knew. He looked at the email notification and within seconds, had the message opened. A few more clicks, and Dorian had all of the pictures available with a click. Audrey let out a huff as she sat down next to him, Dorian wisely keeping his muzzle shut about his mate's long-standing incompatibility with technology.

Audrey's excitement quickly relit, and she hastily clicked on a picture. They both took in the sight of Dawn and Vernon standing side by side in their living room. Dawn was hugging a little black wolf pup close, both with wide smiles, and Dawn with askew glasses as she rested her chin on Alice's head.

"OOooh! There's Alice!" Audrey exclaimed in excitement. Dorian nodded and chuckled, again, as he took in Vernon. Lily was riding on his shoulders while Trevor was in his arms, being hugged close.

"And there's Trevor, oh he's just gunna grow up to be so handsome!" Audrey said, her tail rhythmically thumping on the cushions of the couch. Dorian's tail also thumped a bit, feeling excitement at finally getting to see his grandpups. His gaze traveled up to the small little mammal riding on Vernon's shoulders, hugging the back of his head tight as she smiled at the camera. Dorian frowned.

"And that's little Lily," Audrey said, taking a moment to get a good look at the little mystery mammal.

"She's certainly... different-looking... but she's just so cute!" Audrey said after a minute of trying to figure out what species she was and giving up. "And from what I've heard so far, she's already a Daddy's Girl!"

"Yeah, they're all mighty cute," Dorian agreed, still staring at Lily's picture. He reached down and clicked on one of the pictures of the individual pups, pulling up a larger picture of Lily, standing outside, wearing a bright pink T-shirt and white shorts, smiling wide for the camera. "What d'you reckon she is, Auddey?"

"Well, I'm not really sure, and Dawn did say that she's registered as an unknown species," Audrey said, already thinking of some fun planned activities to do with her grandpups when they finally came up for a visit.

"Huh," Dorian said, a slight frown to his muzzle. With the image of Lily committed to memory, he pulled up another group picture. This one was of them in the park with Alice kicking a soccer ball to Trevor and Lily. Vernon and Dawn were on a picnic blanket, Vernon laying on his side and holding his phone up selfie-style, with the children playing visible over his shoulder, and Dawn standing up to hug Vernon by the neck.

"Awwww!" Audrey said, unable to resist any longer. She let out a howl of pure joy, and pulled Dorian into another hug. He smiled, despite the troubled feeling he was getting from the little hairless mammal he was looking at. Something at the back of his mind was just nagging him.

 **And there you have it, folks! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello there, dear readers, I'm so happy to bring to you the newest chapter of _Found_! This chapter was proofread by _Trismegistus Shandy_! Please feel free to leave a review!**

Found (Chapter 5)

by

Elite Shade

"MOMMY!" Dawn heard Lily's cry for help, but she couldn't find her. She had been standing right next to her, holding her hoof. Dawn had looked away for just a second... and then she was gone. Panicking, she started to look around for Lily. They were at the park, which was empty. The sky, in which a few clouds were lazily drifting by, was growing darker.

"LILY!" Dawn called out, becoming frantic with worry as she dashed all around, looking for any sign of her daughter. And then she spotted her. The little mostly furless mammal that had become her littlest girl, her baby, was near the parking lot, being dragged away by a pair of rams. She was struggling and crying. She looked back and saw Dawn, her big blue eyes filled with tears and terror.

"MOMMY!" she cried as they dragged her towards an idling white van. Dawn ran as fast as her legs would allow, racing towards the van. Tears were streaming down her face as Lily was forced into the van, the door shutting behind her. As she got closer, she recognized one of the rams as Doug Ramses, who just winked at her. She came to a halt as recognition dawned in her mind as to who the second ram was. Her father... the late Aster Bellwether. He looked back at the ewe with contempt.

Dawn was broken out of her stupor by the clap of thunder and, tossing aside the horror of seeing her dead abusive father, she started sprinting to close the gap on the van. Doug and Aster had climbed inside and shut the doors behind them. Dawn got up to the side of the van, and saw Lily crying and beating on the glass. Dawn gripped the handle and tried to open it, jerking and jerking, but the door stayed firmly shut. The van then drove off, knocking Dawn down. She reached out towards the van, sobbing.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she cried out as the rain fell. And then she started awake. Dawn sat up in bed, feeling Vernon holding her close in his arms. She reached out to the nightstand and grabbed her glasses to put on before she looked up at her mate.

"Bad dream, darlin'?" Vernon asked. Dawn lifted her glasses to wipe away some tears as she nodded.

"Oh gods, Puppy," she let out a shuddering breath before hugging her wolf, "it was horrible! Me and Lily were at the park and Doug and my father were there and they kidnapped her! They just took her! I t-tried to get her back, but I failed and... and..." Dawn let out a sob and clutched Vernon tightly.

"It's okay, Lamb Chop, Lily's safe and sound in her bed, and our other pups are safe and asleep as well," Vernon said in a soft and reassuring voice. He gave his ewe an affectionate nuzzle, smiling as her trembling tapered off. Dawn kissed him on his nose, prompting a tail wag. They ended the embrace, and Dawn quickly scrambled out of their circular bed.

"Honey Lamb?" Vernon asked, his ears perked in confusion while Dawn took a moment to adjust her pajamas.

"I just wanna check on our lambs," Dawn said, giving Vernon a smile that he was quick to return. He slipped out from under the covers and followed her out into the hall, padding softly. They navigated through the twilight of the darkened hall towards Lily's door. Dawn quietly opened it and looked inside. There was a soft glow from the Prism Bolt nightlight near the bed, Dawn having selected that particular one for Lily since that was her favorite Our Mini Ostrich character. The nightlight illuminated the bed where Lily lay curled up with Alice, the wolf pup having apparently also had a bad dream earlier in the night to come and sleep in her sister's bed.

Unable to help herself, Dawn crept quietly into the room and up to the bed. She reached out a hoof to gently stroke Lily and Alice's headfur, and then lightly kissed their foreheads. Alice made a murring sound in her sleep, and smiled. Vernon watched as Dawn padded back out, smiling down at her. They then moved down to Trevor's room, where they found him sleeping peacefully. His blanket was strewn a little, and Dawn padded over to his bed to pull it back up and to also give the little black lamb a kiss on the forehead as well. Vernon quietly shut the door behind the ewe, and the two headed back to their room. They both climbed back into bed, and snuggled together. Dawn placed her glasses back on the nightstand, and buried her face in Vernon's neck ruff, falling asleep surrounded by his scent, taking comfort as she drifted off.

"Nick's really starting to warm up to the idea of us having kits," Judy said as she and Dawn casually strolled through Savanah Central. They were on their way to a new cafe that Judy had heard about from Fru Fru. Today was Judy's day off, and on a whim she had called up Dawn to invite her to lunch. With the kids at school and Vernon at work, and the nightmare from the previous night making focusing on writing her newest novel an impossibility, Dawn had jumped at the chance. It was a bright and sunny day out, with crystal clear blue skies, as they started to pass a park.

"Oh, really?" Dawn said with a grin, knowing how the red fox had been dragging his feet over the subject.

"Yup! I mean, he still has his reservations, but he's actually willing to talk about it!" Judy practically jumped for joy, the rabbit officer's enthusiasm and energy always making her company a delight to the ewe. Judy continued talking about them possibly adopting two kits, a rabbit and a fox, when Dawn was distracted by the sight of a nearby playground. Since it was a school day, it was mostly deserted, but what drew Dawn's attention was how similar it seemed to the playground in her dream. Dawn's heart quickly raced and she took in a sharp breath as the thought of Lily being abducted flashed into her mind. Judy took notice of her friend's distress, her ears drooping.

"Dawn? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Dawn looked back up at Judy and flashed her a nervous grin.

"O-oh, it's nothing, Judy," Dawn said, "I just had a bad dream last night that I suddenly thought of."

"Oh?" Judy asked, now curious. They continued on their way just as Dawn started to continue.

"Yeah, I dreamt that I took Lily to the park, and that Doug Ramses and my f-father kidnapped her, and took her away before I could rescue her." Dawn hugged herself a little. "I know that it's silly though. Especially since my f-father... w-well, you were there..."

Judy nodded and reached out to rest a paw on Dawn's shoulder.

"It's not silly, Dawn. Having a child abducted is one of the worst nightmares for a parent," Judy explained as they came to a crosswalk, waiting to cross.

"True... I g-guess that I'm especially worried about Lily, though; we still haven't been able to find anything about her species. I think that part of me is thinking that someone might try to take her to study in a lab... or worse..."

"You haven't been able to find anything?" Judy asked, curious. She and Nick had gotten the file of the pictures taken after Dawn had sent them, squealing in pure joy at the adorable pictures, as well as taking an interest in Lily.

"Nothing, I haven't been able to find any record anywhere of a species like her..." Dawn said. They started to cross when the signal changed. Dawn waited until they reached the other side to bring up another worry she had been having. "I can't help but feel that it must be pretty lonely for her."

Judy nodded as she considered this. "That does sound like it could feel pretty lonely, especially for a little kit."

"A-at first," Dawn gulped and looked at her hooves guiltily, "Vernon and I were worried about how we would relate to her. I mean, th-that's why we were primarily looking to adopt a lamb and a wolf in the first p-place."

Judy nodded. "But she's your baby now," Judy said, resting a paw on Dawn's shoulder.

"They all are," Dawn said, "but it's just a little frustrating. Part of me feels like there should be something out there, some kernel of information, anything!"

"Dawn, I'm positive that you'll find it. Even if she's a member of a newly discovered species that's been in hiding in some remote location in the world, there's going to be something to dig up. She had to come from somewhere, after all."

Dawn looked up at her rabbit friend and gave her a sudden hug.

"Thank you, Judy," Dawn said as she let go.

"Anytime, Dawn. So, what about your other kits? They start giving you two heart attacks yet?"

"Don't get me started," Dawn said with a roll of her eye. "So it turns out that Trevor, for all his skittishness, likes to go rooting around with glass jars to collect bugs in, poking holes in the top. And Alice likes to climb things."

"I take it that those two traits came as a bit of a surprise then?" Judy asked with a giggle, glad to see Dawn perking up.

"Oh yeah, which we found out about both of them on the same day. That's also when we found out that Lily has a bad habit of wandering off when you take your eyes off of her. I had just realized how high up Alice had climbed the tree in our back yard and just before I started to think about getting a ladder, Trevor pops up from a hedge he had been in, covered head to hoof in mud, holding up three jars of creepy crawlies, one of which had the largest tarantula in it I've ever seen."

The two started laughing, only stopping just as they came upon the cafe that had been their destination. After they were seated and waiting to order, Dawn described how Vernon had been relaxed and trying to keep a cool head, until he had seen his oldest pup up in the tree. He had immediately scrambled to find a ladder and quickly scaled it to carry Alice down. While not afraid, Alice had looked guilty, like she had been preparing herself for a scolding.

"She actually looked almost shocked when we both hugged her to us," Dawn said, setting down her menu. "I think that she was expecting to be punished."

"Poor kit," Judy responded.

"And then, after we explained how we were not mad, just scared of how she could have hurt herself, she looked so guilty." Dawn stopped long enough to place an order for the clover tea, her appetite having dwindled a bit from the recollection of her nightmare. Judy placed an order for a fruit salad and some carrot tea.

"She puts on a brave face," Dawn continued once the weasel waiter had scurried off, "and so we're encouraging her, gently of course, to open up. I think that she's spent so long being the rock for Trevor and Lily that she's built up a wall."

"That sounds like my little brother, Julian," Judy said, giving Dawn a sympathetic smile. "My mom and dad adopted him and the rest of his litter when they were just little kits. He had been their protector, and he kinda stayed that way even after they became a part of our family."

"I had no idea that your parents adopted a litter of kits," Dawn said, surprised. Judy nodded solemnly.

"Their parents and mine had been friends for a while, the Leapingtons. Unfortunately, their mother passed away during birth, and their father just couldn't handle it. He tried to raise them, but he started drinking just to cope. When they were five, he got so out of control that the Sheriff had to come down and arrest him. He ended up going away for assaulting an officer."

"That's terrible!" Dawn said, shocked.

"It was. Anyway, we made them a part of our family. They all integrated pretty well, after a little time had passed. But Julian, he had always seemed so... vigilant, when it came to his brothers and sisters. Like he was just waiting for the other hammer to drop."

"D-did he ever come out of his shell?" Dawn asked, leaning forward. Judy smiled brightly and nodded.

"He sure did. It took a while, but he slowly started to relax, and learn to enjoy himself more. Mom and Dad made sure to take the time to really encourage anything he started to show an interest in, which it turns out was chess. It really seemed to help."

"Patience, showing an interest in their interests; and of course, a safe and loving home; all sound as though they helped to do the trick." Dawn smiled down at the cup of tea placed before her.

"Which I'm sure Alice is already starting to receive a lot of with you and Vernon. Plus, coming from a family of law wolves probably adds some additional sense of security. Well, that and having the largest wolf ever for a dad." Judy took a few bites from her fruit salad, the blueberries making her think of her mate.

"I'm sure you and Nick could probably make some little ones feel safe and loved too," Dawn said, earning a giggle from Judy.

"I'm almost positive that when we do get some kits of our own, Nick is immediately going to teach them how to pull off his 'Pawpsicle' scheme." That made Dawn laugh.

"What about Trevor?" Judy asked as a sudden thought popped into her mind.

"Trevor? Well, he's a little sweetheart."

"I'm sure. But he's also the middle child," Judy said. Dawn nodded in agreement.

"Vernon and I discuss ways we can include all of our lambs, as well as make sure to praise them all equally. Vernon especially. He wants to make sure that they all know that they're loved equally, and tries to find ways for us to show all three of them how special they are to us."

Judy cooed at the sudden mental image of the pictures Dawn had sent. There wasn't one where Dawn and Vernon weren't both hugging the kids, everyone looking happy in the pictures.

"Tag! You're it!" Lily squealed in excitement as the little panther boy touched his paw to her back. Giggling, she turned and spotted Emma, the little fox kit laughing as she turned to run. Lily gave chase, spotting Alice out on the playground. She waved to her big sister as she passed by, Alice's tail wagged a little, before she saw another wolf pup approaching her. He was the one seated next to her in class, and every day he had been bugging Alice with questions. She had recently learned that his name was Mike.

"So that's your little sister?" he asked, staring after Lily as she finally managed to tag Emma, who in turn started to chase after a little squirrel boy.

"Yeah, that's my baby sister Lily."

"So... is she adopted like you and your brother?" Mike asked, his ears perked and his head cocked to the side.

"Yes, Mike," Alice said, looking for Trevor and spotting him reading one of the books that he had gotten as a gift under a tree.

"S-so... what is she?" Mike asked, shrinking a little under the serious look he received.

"My little sister," Alice said, a little tersely. She saw how nervous Mike seemed, and part of her felt a little bad. She wondered if maybe he was having difficulty making friends. But her more protective side was ever vigilant and protective of her brother and sister, the memories of them having both been mercilessly teased back at their old school still fresh in her mind. Lily had gotten it the worst.

"'Kay... w-wanna go... uhm... p-play tetherball?" Mike asked. Alice looked him over and thought about it for a second.

"...Okay..." Alice noticed how the other pup's tail started to wag. "But if I see anyone messing with my brother or sister, I will have to cut our game short to go deal with them. Got it?" Mike's tail continued to wag as he nodded and then raced off to an unoccupied tetherball pole. Alice followed after him, looking over her shoulder to check on Lily and Trevor.

Lily was running along, trying to avoid being tagged by a raccoon girl in her class. She was laughing and looking over her shoulder, not watching where she was going. Suddenly she found herself crashing into someone. She let out a squeal as she and the black figure tumbled over. Lily immediately extricated herself from what she recognized as her brother.

"Oops! Sorry, Trevie!" Lily said, reaching down to help him up. The lamb smiled up at his sister and took her hand.

"That's okay, Lils," he said, earning a giggle. She spotted Trevor's book and handed it to him, making sure to wipe off the dirt that gotten on the cover. She looked at the title and started to sound it out.

"Bee-asts annnd bat-tal-lyons," Lily sounded it out. Trevor gave her a hug.

"Good job, Lils," he said. Despite their height difference, with the little black lamb being a head shorter than his little sister, Trevor never had any difficulty viewing her as his little sister.

"Beasts and Battalions," Trevor said, accepting the proffered book.

"What's it about?" Lily asked, the game continuing in the background.

"It's a game!" Trevor's voice started to fill with excitement. "Daddy said he and Mommy would play it with us, if we wanted."

"Oh!" Lily said, starting to share Trevor's enthusiasm. "What kind of game? Do we play it on the Shift?"

Trevor giggled and shook his head. "No, Lily, this is a game played on paper, imagining a world to explore and go on adventures in!"

Lily cocked her head to the side as she looked on in confusion, a habit she had picked up from Alice over the years. Trevor smiled up at his little sister.

"Don't worry, Lils, when we get to play with Mommy and Daddy, they can probably help explain it better."

"Okay!" She saw Andrew out of the corner of her eye. The little panther boy was trying to creep up on her, looking ready to pounce. Lily squealed and turned to run, just as Andrew pounced. He missed her, but only just barely, and gave chase, the two giggling. Trevor watched, feeling a little worried at first, but relaxing after the panther tagged her and turned to run, only for Lily to pounce on him. Trevor then noticed the little tiger girl from his class sitting on a swing. She was staring at him again, and Trevor started to feel a pit of nervousness form in his stomach. He smiled nervously and gave a wave, but she in turn gave an audible huff, and turned away.

Vernon was seated at his desk at work. He was hunched over his plans for the library that he was presently working on. The big pitch was coming up in a few days, and the large wolf felt simultaneously nervous and excited. He knew that the building was going to have to match the general theme of the rest of the structures in Sahara Square, but he was also working out how he was going to go about making it his own. Vernon was humming a little as he went over his current design, and decided to make some adjustments, when his phone started to buzz. Vernon let out a sigh as he fished it out and held up the vibrating phone, an eyebrow quirking at the picture of his father that came up.

"Hey, Pa, how're things?" Vernon asked the older law wolf, a little confused.

"Heya, Vern," Dorian's voice rumbled on the other end. "Just callin' ta check in on you and Dawn and the pups."

"Oh, well, we're all fine. The kids are all at school, and Dawn sent me a text earlier sayin' that she and her friend Judy were going out to a cafe. I'm actually at work right now," Vernon trailed off as a sudden thought came to him and, his tail starting to wag, he resumed sketching on the paper before him.

"Oh, right, well, I'll try to keep this short. I was just curious about whether or not y'all have been able to dig up any information about the youngest pup."

Vernon continued to sketch on the plans as he spoke. "Well, no. I mean, we know that she was picked up when she was four or so, all alone on the streets, but that's about it."

"So her species is a bit of a mystery then?" Dorian asked. Vernon paused, and his tail slowly tapered off the wagging.

"So far," Vernon said, slowly, "why?"

"Oh, well, it's the strangest thing, Vern," Dorian said, sounding uncomfortable.

"What is, Pa?"

"I just have the strangest sense of deja vu is all. I mean, when I first saw her in the pictures you sent over, finally, I just got this odd feelin' of familiarity."

"Like you've seen Lily before?" Vernon asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh, no. Not, eh, Lily. I just got this feelin' in the back of my mind is all. And that just made me curious. I'm sure that it'll come back to me sooner or later."

"Okay," Vernon said, holding up a paw to forestall Robert who had been approaching him, opening his mouth to speak. The beaver looked initially confused but nodded and decided to wait. "If it does come to ya, you'll let us know, right?"

"Of course, Son." Dorian let out a rumbling chuckle.

"Thanks Pa... she's actually a pretty happy little pup, but we both get a little worried for her."

"Welcome to parentin', Son." Dorian let out another chuckle, and Vernon was certain that his father could tell that he was rolling his eyes. "Granted, this here's a bit of an... unusual case, but regardless, a large part of parentin' is worryin'. I can't even begin to tell you how much you boys scared the ever livin' daylights outta me and yer ma, and that was before y'all could even walk! And don't even get me started about how much worse it got when the last of ya was toddlin' around. I swear, it was like y'all were just tryin' to go and get lost in the corn fields."

"O-okay, Pa," Vernon said, noticing Robert who was pointing to his watch and circling it with his finger, repeatedly, "I gotta go."

"Oh, wait Son, yer ma wanted me to ask when you and Dawn were gunna bring our grandpups up here fer a visit? We know y'all wanted to acclimate 'em slowly and everything, but we, yer mother especially, are just itchin' to meet 'em."

"O-oh, uh, me and Dawn were thinkin' maybe in about two weeks. Would that be a good time to come in for a visit?" Vernon offered.

"That's perfect. I'll go tell yer ma and let you get back to yer architectin'," Dorian joked, making Vernon once more roll his eyes before they said their goodbyes. After Vernon had hung up, he looked down at Robert.

"Yes?" he asked the beaver.

"Well hello to you too, Vernon," Robert said with a smirk. "I just wanted to let you know that today is Tony's birthday, and that they're serving cake in the break room."

The wolf let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "I really gotta get this design done, Robert."

"Alright, alright." The beaver smiled as he held up his paws in defense. He turned to go, while Vernon started to mutter to himself, picking up where he left off, his tail soon slowly resuming its earlier wagging.

 **I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello there, readers! I'm excited to bring to you chapter six of** _ **Found**_ **! Once more, this chapter was proofread by my wonderful friend,** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **.**

Dawn's hooves clacked as she typed away on her laptop. She would periodically look up from her current novel to check on her lambs, smiling as she watched Trevor poring over his new B&B books, writing down notes in a little notebook on the side while laying on his belly on the carpet in front of the couch. Lily was sitting to Dawn's left on the couch, focused on her sketchpad, working on her drawing. The ewe felt her heart swell as she looked on, watching her children with pure joy. Presently, Vernon was with Alice at her team's practice. They were all looking forward to Alice's team's first game, the young pup easily the most excited.

After finishing off a final paragraph for the chapter. Dawn saved before moving the laptop off her lap and stretching a little. She leaned over and saw that Lily was sketching a picture of her, sitting on the couch, typing on her laptop. Dawn smiled, quickly scooting over to giver her youngest a hug. "Well aren't you just the little artist," Dawn said as Lily let out a giggle.

"It's you, Mommy!" Lily elatedly said, proudly showing Dawn the picture.

"It sure is," was Dawn's reply, which was followed up with a kiss to the top of Lily's headmane, which was currently braided again into a ponytail. After finding out how much Lily had enjoyed it when Qali first braided her long patch of headfur, Dawn had made sure to muzzletime with the arctic vixen in order to learn how to properly do it, in the process learning that Qali had first learned how to do it with a horse friend of hers she would have sleepovers with when they were children. Lily had been delighted when Dawn had first surprised her, after Dawn had managed to successfully do it with her hooves.

"It's a lovely picture, sweetie," Dawn said, giving her one more squeeze. She hopped off the couch and walked over to Trevor, the little black lamb looking up at her and letting out an involuntary happy bleat.

"So I take it that you're excited to play Beasts and Battalions with Mommy and Daddy tonight?" Dawn playfully asked.

"Uh-huh! I'm almost done making my character!" Trevor said, holding up the notebook he had been taking notes in, flipping back a few pages to his character. In the bottom left corner was a crayon-colored drawing of a black ram wizard, holding a fireball in his left hoof. While not as detailed as his little sister's drawings, Dawn praised him for his artistic attempts as well, giving his black head poof a pat, before looking over his hoof-made character sheet for _Arzoth the Firesome_.

"Oooh, you went with a Sorcerer; good choice, sweetie," Dawn said, looking at the spell list and the stats.

"Yeah, he likes to throw fireballs and fight zombies!" Trevor said excitedly.

"Oh? Well, we may just have to make sure that he has some zombies to fight tonight, then," Dawn said with a wink. "Now, how about a snack, hmm?"

"Can we have ice cream?" Lily asked, perking up and cocking her head to the side, similar to how her big sister cocked her head.

"I was thinking something a little more healthy, but maybe tonight after dinner."

"'Kay," Lily said energetically.

"Nice try, Lily," Trevor said with a smile. Just as Dawn was heading to the kitchen, she heard the front door open. Turning, she saw her mate enter, the large wolf with a much smaller wolf in her blue soccer jersey perched on his shoulder, both looking elated, two tails wagging.

"We're home!" Vernon called out, only to suddenly find Lily and Trevor latched onto his legs, Lily hugging the left while Trevor hugged the right. Vernon chuckled as he bent down to hug them back, before picking Alice up off his shoulder and setting her down next to them.

"How was practice?" Dawn asked, starting to feel their combined enthusiasm.

"She's a natural, Lamb Chop," Vernon stated with obvious pride, making the little black wolf pup blush and look embarrassed.

"I'm okay," Alice said.

"That you are, Allie," Vernon said, reaching down once again, this time to ruffle Alice's headfur. "And we can't wait to cheer you on at your first game." Trevor and Lily both audibly agreed.

"...Thank you..." Alice said in a small voice before dashing upstairs to change out of her uniform, Dawn spying the corners of her muzzle turned up in a smile as her oldest daughter jogged by. Dawn turned and beamed at her mate, who was currently swarmed with Trevor and Lily, both attempting to climb him to show off their projects. Dawn slipped away to make a large plate of snacks, returning shortly after to find Alice already back in the living room, now dressed in some jeans and a shirt, wrestling Lily, who giggled. Vernon was sitting on the couch, Trevor in his lap, with his notebook and B&B books open, the two discussing his character.

Dawn set the platter of various fruit slices on the coffee table, happy to see Alice scramble over at the sight of the apple slices, Dawn having learned early on that Alice loved apples, especially the sour green ones. She also included grapes and clover crackers, for Lily and Trevor respectively. She blushed when her lambs all thanked her, before each taking some of the provided snacks. As Vernon and Trevor resumed their discussion, and Dawn asked Alice about her practice, and listened to her story. Both she and Vernon would look over at Lily, who busied herself with her drawing again, making sure to ask their little mystery mammal questions and otherwise ensure that she felt included. It was just as Vernon was about to get up and offer to start dinner, that Dawn felt her phone buzz. Taking a second to unlock it, she saw that it was her mother calling, and she immediately answered.

"Hi, Mom," Dawn said.

"Hello, Dawnie, sweetie!" Clover responded, sounding excited. "Me and Cammy were talking and we were wondering if now would be a good day to come by and meet the grandchildren."

Dawn paused for a moment, "O-oh! Well... I suppose that it would be alright."

"Oh, wonderful! See you all in a little bit, Dawnie!" the older ewe said before hanging up.

"So they're coming over, Darlin'?" Vernon asked.

"It looks like, Puppy Love," Dawn said, before turning her attention to her lambs, all three of whom were looking at her for an explanation.

"Well, kids, your grandma and grandpa are going to be coming over in a little bit for a visit," she said.

"From the ranch daddy was talking about?" Lily asked, having set down her sketching pad.

"No, sweetheart," Vernon said, "that's my ma and pa. This is your Granma Clover and Grampa Cameron; they live in the city."

"Are they nice?" Lily asked, starting to look nervous. Dawn slipped down from the couch and walked over to her daughter, giving her a hug.

"They sure are," she said, "and they're both just going to love all three of you." Dawn and Vernon briefly shared a look. Whenever the subject of their extended family would come up, all three children would seem more nervous than excited, especially Lily, who so far was the most prone to asking if they were nice.

Satisfied with the grin on Lily's face, Dawn and Vernon then set about checking to see what needed straightening up before the arrival. In less than an hour, the doorbell signified the arrival of the grandparents, and Dawn, starting to feel eager, made her way to the door. She looked back to see Vernon, now with Lily and Trevor in his lap on the couch, Alice sitting next to them, looking vigilant as per her default setting. That brought a slight pang to Dawn's heart, but she quickly brushed it away, throwing open the door to the sight of her mother, an older ewe, and her stepfather, Cameron, the older russet fox holding a stack of boxes.

"Hi, mom! Hello, Cameron!" Dawn said, her mother suddenly pulling her into a hug.

"Oh, Dawnie," Clover said, nuzzling her daughter's head poof before letting go, "I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that I'm finally going to get to meet my grandlambs!"

"We're both very excited, Dawn," Cameron said, his muzzle peeking around the boxes, his glasses slightly askew, "and we decided to bring some gifts for the kits."

"Oh, that's so sweet! But you didn't have to go and do that," Dawn said before offering to take some of the boxes.

"We wanted to," Cameron replied, "and it's quite alright, I've got them."

Dawn stepped aside and ushered her mother and stepfather in. They made their way to the living room. There was a brief moment of silence as Alice eyed the newcomers, having scooted closer to her brother and sister, the latter of whom was hugging the former close to herself, almost involuntarily.

"Well hi there, Clover," Vernon said to his mother-in-law, his tail already thumping, which Dawn noticed helped to make Lily visibly calm, "and howdy, Cameron."

"Hello, Vernon," Clover said, smiling brightly at the sight of her grandlambs as Cameron made his way to the coffee table, setting the boxes down on top, spreading all three out next to one another.

"It's nice to see you again, Vernon," he said, stepping back and smiling at the children.

"Kids," Dawn said, walking over to stand next to where they were sitting on the couch, "this is your grandma and grandpa. Mom, Cameron, this is Alice, Lily, and Trevor."

"Hello there," Clover said, waving a hoof. She blushed a little when she felt Cameron rest an arm around her waist, and felt his big bushy tail flick itself over her legs. Both the older ewe and fox looked to the three children, both pausing briefly when they looked upon the partially hidden Lily, but said nothing.

"Hi... uhm... Gramma and Grampa!" Lily said, surprising Dawn, Vern, and even Alice and Trevor. The little mystery mammal still looked a bit shy, but was clearly making an effort to be brave and show her enthusiasm. The sight of the brightly colored pink and blue boxes on the coffee table also piquing her curiosity. Clover cooed while Cameron gave her a squeeze. The tension broken, the children began to relax, much to Clover's joy. She wasted no time in offering hugs and cuddles to her grandlambs, keeping in mind what Dawn had said before about possibly overwhelming them. Cameron, despite his usual formal mannerisms, was also quick to show affection to his new grandkits.

"Oh, it is just so nice to finally be able to meet you three," Clover warmly said.

"We've both heard so much about you," Cameron added, motioning to the boxes, "so we both brought you all a gift that we hope you like."

Alice, Trevor, and Lily all looked to Clover and said thank you before looking to Dawn, silently asking permission to open their gifts. Dawn gave a nod, knowing her mother and having an pretty good idea as to what she had gotten her children. With only a slight hesitation from Alice, all three grabbed the boxes with their names on them and started tearing them open. Trevor was the first to have his opened, and held up a sweater with his name on it. It was bright green and had intricate patterns on the sleeves in light blues and yellows. Alice held up a purple one with her name on it, and Lily held up an orange one, with reds making up the patterns. The children all looked quizzically at the sweaters, before Trevor recognized what they were made from.

"A-Are these wool... uhm... G-Grandma?" he asked. Clover nodded, looking a little anxious, which Cameron noticed and was quick to give a slight reassuring squeeze to his mate.

"Yes... I made them, with Cameron's help of course, from my own wool," Clover said, starting to wonder if perhaps the gift wasn't something the children would like after all, before Lily surprised them again by quickly pulling hers on.

"Thank you, Grandma, it's so pretty!" she said. Trevor, now grinning, pulled his own on. Alice looked on, a little unsure of how to feel, but having picked up that this was intended to be a nice gesture, so she, much like her brother and sister, started to put hers on. As she did, she found that it was a perfect fit and felt very soft and warm. This led to the pup's tail beginning to thump, matching Vernon's, which of course made Lily start to giggle. All of which helped to further put Alice, the protector, at ease.

"I'm so glad that you enjoy it, sweetie!" Clover said, unable to stop herself from hopping down from the loveseat where she and Cameron had been sitting, and walking over to the three to give each a hug. Once again, Alice hesitated, but it was only very slight, and she immediately returned the hug, not fully sure of just how she felt, but trying to hide that. Vernon leaned over to ruffle her head fur, which helped to bring out her own giggle, and soon everyone was enjoying the visit.

Clover and Cameron asked the children all sorts of questions about what they enjoyed, how they were liking their new school, and other such subjects. The initial awkwardness having given way to a more comfortable rapport, the visit was positive, and involved quite a bit of Clover cuddling her grandlambs, multiple times. So much so that when it came time for Clover and Cameron to leave, Lily and Trevor voiced their objections.

"We're sorry, children," Clover said sincerely, already wanting to spend more time with her grandlambs, "but Cameron and I live so far away, making it a very long drive. We'd love to stay longer, but we have to leave soon."

"Although we do promise to come back plenty of times," Cameron added, taking one of Clover's hooves in his paw. This offered very little in the was of consolation to the children, but they accepted. There was another round of hugs and cuddles from Clover, and even some tentative hugs from Cameron, and further promises of returning very soon, as well as an added guarantee to be at Alice's first soccer match, something that the little wolf found herself looking forward to, before finally they had to leave. Soon, Vernon was in the kitchen, starting dinner.

"So," Dawn started, looking to each of her lambs, "what did you think of grandma and grandpa?"

"They were really... nice," Alice said, Dawn taking that as the pup's endorsement for grandparent set number one.

"Just like you said, Mommy!" Trevor exclaimed. Dawn and Vernon had noticed that when excited or lost in happy thoughts, Trevor's stutter seemed to disappear.

"I'm so happy to know you enjoyed yourselves!" Dawn said, noticing Lily was distracted by looking down at her sweater, which she was still wearing, Trevor and Alice having already removed theirs.

"Lily?" the ewe asked, looking with concern at the little mystery mammal who finally looked up, a wide grin on her face.

"No one's ever made me something before..." Lily said before looking down at her sweater. While Dawn felt elated to know that Lily loved her new sweater, there was an internal frown. She reached over and rested her hoof on one of Lily's paws.

"That's something you all will get used to from now on, sweetheart," Dawn said, enjoying how much Lily's face lit up.

After making sure that the children had washed up first, she then herded her children into the kitchen, where Vernon was finishing up the spaghetti. They had confirmed with Lily's pediatrician, as well as her new dentist, that her species were naturally omnivores, and have been slowly introducing meat into her diet, naturally making sure she was comfortable with trying the new foods beforehoof. So on the plate that Vernon happily made for her, he included some beetle meatballs, which he and Alice were already looking forward to, as well as some of the vegetarian meatballs, made of soy, that Dawn and Trevor both enjoyed quite a bit.

After all sitting down at the table, the conversation quickly went from the visit with Grandma Clover and Grandpa Cameron, to the upcoming trip they were all going to take to the Hunter family ranch, to meet Grandma Audrey and Grandpa Dorian, as well as Auntie Vanna and Uncle Zach. Vernon described the ranch, and how there they'd get to explore the surrounding woods, with supervision as Dawn was quick to remind, and the corn fields. Dawn felt her heart swell with joy as she saw how excited her mate seemed at the prospect of showing their children where they grew up in the Meadowlands, before Dawn was pulled out of school.

"I gotta warn y'all though," Vernon said with mock seriousness, "that my ma... may try to hug each of ya to death." His attempt at a straight face sent Trevor and Lily into a fit of giggles, with Alice trying, and partially failing, to keep from joining in.

"What are Uncle Zach and Auntie Vanna like?" Trevor asked. Vernon and Dawn had already informed the children, a few times, that their other grandma and grandpa were nice.

"Well, yer Uncle Zach is a bit of a goofball," Vernon said, pointedly ignoring Dawn clapping a hoof over her mouth to stifle a fresh set of giggles. Vernon calling anyone goofy was the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. "And yer Aunt Vanna," Vernon continued, undeterred, "is the strong generally quiet type. But she's a big softy."

"Really?" Lily asked.

"Oh absolutely," Dawn chimed in, "and while she may not be as expressive as Audrey is going to be about her excitement at getting to meet you, it's going to be pretty clear how thrilled she'll be." Dawn thought about her sister-in-law in question. The large stoic tigress had intimidated her upon their first meeting, but Dawn had been quick to find a much kinder side to her. After dinner was finished, Dawn, reminded by an excited Lily, set about making them each a bowl of ice cream. With the small infusion of sugar. all three children were energized for the first ever family game of Beasts and Battalions.

Trevor and Lily had been excited at the idea of the game, with Trevor helping his little sister to make a character of her own. Alice hadn't been too interested when the idea first had been proposed to her, but she had agreed to give it a try. Vernon and Dawn had both tried to hide their excitement, both having been seasoned long-time B&B players. They wanted to make sure that the kids didn't feel pressured, but were also hoping that they would enjoy themselves and find it as interesting as they themselves did.

"Alright," the large wolf said once they were all gathered around the coffee table in the living room, the sheets of graph paper he had drawn all of the buildings and landscapes for the first game of the campaign on in a neat stack at one end. He reached over and grabbed the first sheet, which showed an aerial view of a forest just outside a fort. He set the little miniatures of each of the children's and Dawn's characters down next to each other and opened one of the books.

"Near dusk, you all come to the fort, which looms ominously ahead. You know that according to legend that there is supposed to be a great treasure inside, but that legend also claims that it is guarded by a terrible beast."

And so the game started. While the finer points of the game seemed to be going over Lily's head, she clearly was having fun playing as the bunny warrior. Trevor was following along with rapt attention, loving playing as his sheep sorcerer. Alice, at first, seemed a bit disinterested and confused, but started to get into it herself, playing as a cheetah ranger. Dawn, mindful of her own wolf wizard, was excited to see more of the excited and happy pup that Alice hid away beneath her armor, and she and Vernon shared a look, in between him having fun getting into the different characters he created for the game. They got past the first few rooms and several traps, along with defeating a few monsters, before bedtime for the children rapidly started to approach. With a groan, and a promise that Vernon had written down where they were in the game and all that they had accomplished, he and Dawn started to put everything away while the kids all got ready for bed. The ewe looked up at her wolf and smiled, hugging him close. No words needed to be exchanged to convey their happiness.

Once they had finished, the parents went up to each child's room for what had become the nightly bedtime ritual. Dawn and Vernon would read a bedtime story to Lily and Trevor, and of course offer the same to Alice, who would claim that she was just fine, usually while trying to hide her stuffed bunny that she never went to sleep without behind her back. Dawn made sure to turn on the pup's night light, after giving her oldest daughter a kiss on the forehead and wishing her a good night. Alice tried to look embarrassed, but Dawn once more saw the shadow of a smile on her muzzle. Vernon finished tucking Lily in, the latter having fallen asleep shortly after the former had started with one of her new books. And of course, Trevor once more fought against sleep, wanting to keep knowing what the next chapter would bring on the space-faring sci-fi adventure story that Dawn was reading to him.

Once finished and sure that the children were all seen to for the night, Dawn and Vernon enjoyed one another's company, watching a late-night cheesy horror film before heading to bed themselves. They were snuggling close, Dawn once more enjoying burying her nose in Vernon's neck ruff, when both of their ears perked at the sound of a door in the hall opening. By now they recognized the sound of Alice sneaking into Lily's room after a nightmare. Vernon gave Dawn a reassuring squeeze, neither one able to resist the urge to check in on them one last time before going to sleep themselves.

 **And there you have it, readers! Chapter six! I hope that you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello there, readers! I'm super excited to bring to you the newest chapter of** _ **Found**_ **! I hope that you enjoy it!**

Found (Chapter 7)

by

Elite Shade

"After Alice's match is when we were thinkin' of bringin' the pups up to the ranch fer a visit, Ma," Vernon said as Dawn lay beside him in their bed, smiling contentedly as his free arm held her small body close to his much larger frame. Vernon was presently on the phone with his mother. He smiled down at Dawn before continuing.

"Well of course we were plannin' on filmin' the game, Ma, it's gunna be her first match. Yeah, we'll send ya an' Pa a copy." Dawn smiled as she listened to Vernon's half of the conversation, the Lovecloptian book she had been reading forgotten for the moment. She nuzzled closer to her mate when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement.

"Love you and Pa too, Ma. Talk to ya soon," Vernon said, ending the call and setting his phone on the nightstand. "Alright, so after Alice's game is when we take advantage of the upcomin' three day weekend fer the pups and introduce 'em to some more of their family," Vernon said aloud for confirmation of their plans. Not hearing a peep out of his ewe, the wolf looked down at her, staring at the door to their bedroom. "Something wrong, Floofy?" Vernon asked, his ears perking up at the sound of stifled giggling coming from the door. He noticed a certain furless paw holding onto the slightly ajar door.

"Somethin' funny, Lily?" Vernon asked with a smile forming on his muzzle. The little mammal poked her head into the room, looking guilty.

"I-I wasn't trying to listen, Daddy," she said. Vernon's tail thumped.

"We believe you, sweetie," Dawn said, "but I recall tucking you in a while ago. Did you want me to read you another bedtime story?"

Lily shook her head and gazed down at her feet, looking a bit uncomfortable. Dawn thought for a moment, an idea striking her.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Dawn asked, her youngest daughter's answer coming in the form of a sudden and rapid nodding of her head. "And did you want to sleep with Daddy and me tonight?"

"Please?" Lily asked, looking up, Dawn seeing a touch of fear in her deep blue eyes. She and Vernon shared a brief look before scooting aside to make a space for her, with Dawn patting the space with a hoof. Lily wasted no time hurrying over to the bed and climbing up to crawl between them.

"Th-thank you," she said as she got herself situated, finding Dawn wrapping her arms around her in a protective embrace.

"Anytime, princess," Vernon rumbled, leaning down to give Lily a gentle kiss on her forehead. She mumbled something that neither Dawn nor Vernon could easily hear.

"What was that, Lily?" Vernon asked. Lily looked away before looking back up at their concerned faces.

"C-can I stay?" she asked in a small voice.

"Well yeah," Vernon said, ruffling her headfur with a massive paw. Lily smiled a little, but shook her head.

"N-no... c-can I stay... here... with Alice and Trevor?" She clarified. It took a second for the two parents to figure out just what she meant, and both looked even more concerned before giving the little scared mystery mammal between them a hug.

"Of course, sweetie," Dawn said, tightening her grip a little.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Vernon asked. Lily took a moment to think about it, and simply shook her head. "Alright, we won't go pushin' ya," Vernon replied, giving her another squeeze. "Just know that if you ever do wanna talk about it, yer mother and I are both willin' to listen." Dawn nodded in agreement, which brought the smile back to Lily's face.

"And you should know that you and your brother and sister are all here to stay. You're our little lambs now, and you always will be, even when you're all grown up," Dawn said, smiling as she felt Lily hug her back.

"Does that mean you'll still read me bedtime stories, even when I'm a grown-up?" Lily earnestly asked, causing a rumbling chuckle from the large wolf.

"Of course, Princess," was his answer, which Dawn was quick to sincerely echo. Satisfied with their answer, Lily let out a yawn, and closed her eyes, curling in close to Dawn, who slightly tightened her hug on Lily. Dawn rested her chin on her daughter's head while Vernon smiled. He reached to turn off the lamp and stopped when he noticed a hoof and a paw on the still partially ajar door, and let out another low rumbling chuckle.

"I think that we got us two more who might wanna join their little sister, Floofy," he said, smiling at the failed concealed snickers emanating not only from behind the door, but also coming from his side. Dawn rolled her eyes, also entertained by how amused the children seemed to be by her nickname.

"I think that you're right, Puppy," was her response, which garnered some more snickers.

 _The next day..._

Vernon yawned a little and stretched, happy to still find Alice and Trevor in his arms. The little lamb and pup were curled up and only just now starting to stir. Looking over, Vernon saw Lily curled tightly against Dawn, the ewe awake and smiling down at the little mystery mammal. The smile on her face was quick to disappear, however, upon hearing some faint whimpers coming from their youngest. Dawn shifted a little, which resulted in another whimper and Lily curling even closer into her. Dawn started to look worried as Alice sat up and began rubbing her eyes.

"Lily sometimes has nightmares," the young she-wolf sleepily mumbled, letting out a tired yawn and hugging her grey stuffed bunny, "of her mo - her old mommy leaving and never coming back."

Vernon and Dawn shared a look, the wolf seeing the concern in Dawn's eyes. Resting her chin back on top of Lily's head mane, Dawn started to rock the little mammal, which was a bit of a feat considering that Lily was almost as big as she was, humming a lullaby she remembered her mother singing when she had been a little lamb. The whimpering stopped and Lily began to sleep much more peacefully, while Trevor started to open his eyes and Alice just watched.

"How about we go downstairs and get breakfast started?" Vernon said, giving the now awake Trevor and Alice both a nudge. Trevor nodded, his mind still a little foggy, while Alice started to get up, suddenly realizing something. Panicking, she swept her bunny behind her back, looking embarrassed, before hopping down off the bed and running out of the room.

"Allie gets embarrassed when people find out she still sleeps with Princess Floppington," Trevor said as he let out a yawn, looking surprised to find himself being carried out of the room, being transferred to a chuckling Vernon's shoulder.

"Well now, there's nothin' embarrasin' about having a special friend to go to bed with. Yer Ma will tell you that that's what I'm mostly for," Vernon's voice carried in from the hallway, bringing a smile and a semi-suppressed giggle from the ewe. She looked back down at her youngest daughter, still sleeping peacefully in her arms. She felt the unease at Lily's distress returning and simply resolved to lay there with her for as long as she needed. It was another few minutes before Lily started to wake up as well. She looked a little confused before looking up into Dawn's smiling face.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Dawn said, planting a kiss on Lily's forehead, which brought a bright and happy smile, along with a tight hug from her.

"Good morning, Mommy!" Dawn still felt a rush of excitement upon hearing her new title. The two shared a hug, before Dawn finally decided to ask the question.

"You seemed to be having a bad dream there for a minute, would you like to talk about it?" Lily looked away, unsure of just what to say. "It's okay if you don't, I just want you to know that no one will be angry with you, not one bit."

"Promise?" Lily asked in a squeak.

"I promise," Dawn said, nuzzling her daughter. It was a few more moments before Lily started.

"I dreamt of when I was littler... and m-my... uhm... old m-mommy... went away..." Dawn noticed Lily curl into herself a little bit, as though she were bracing herself. Once Dawn started rocking her, though, Lily seemed to relax a bit, which in turn encouraged her to open up a little bit more.

"We were at a park. I remember that she seemed really sad and scared. She set me down at a playground, under a jungle gym, and told me to wait there... she said she was gunna come right back, but that she had to go away for a little while... but she was gone for a really long time... and she never came back..." Lily sniffled as Dawn just held her.

"Sweetie... did that really happen?" Dawn asked, perturbed.

Lily nodded. "I started to get hungry... but I didn't wanna leave the place she told me to stay, because she might not be able to find me again. But my tummy really started to hurt, so I went looking for something to eat. I left the spot, and it got dark out, but then the light came back, but the park looked different, and I couldn't find the jungle gym and... I got lost. So I hid, I didn't know what to do, and then a police officer, a great big grizzly bear, found me. He was nice, and offered to help me find my mommy... but..."

"They never found her?" Dawn asked, her heart breaking at the thought alone of how scared the little mammal in her arms must have been. Seeing the tears in her eyes prompted the ewe to give Lily another kiss.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she said as she felt Lily renew her efforts to hug her close, offering whatever comfort she could to her daughter.

"I-I really wanna stay... with you and Daddy and Alice and Trevor... I d-don't wanna be alone again." Dawn was now holding Lily tightly against her chest.

"You won't be alone again, sweetheart," Dawn said, her own eyes prickling with tears that she was quick to blink away, focusing on reassuring Lily and trying to cheer her up. "You and your brother and sister are all here to stay, and I have no problem telling you that again and again."

"Thank you," Lily whispered, burying her face in Dawn's chest. They laid there, holding onto one another for a while yet, before they ended their embrace. Lily's mood had elevated back to its usual level of brightness. Dawn gave her one more hug and then let her run off to join the now audible giggles coming from downstairs. Dawn took a moment to wipe her eyes, smiling at the sounds of her happy children. She thought about what she had just learned from her youngest, and felt the pit of worry she had recently developed, ever since the adoption, return, not that it had ever really left. She reached for her phone and texted Judy, asking if she was going to be free this afternoon. She then took a second to compose herself, and then hopped out of bed.

Breakfast passed by in a happy blur, soon to be followed by a rush for everyone to get ready for their day. Vernon geared up for another day at work, having been hinting at his project and how it had been coming together. Dawn getting ready for an outing with Judy, after receiving confirmation from her about having the day off. And of course, they helped the kids prepare for school. Vernon took notice of how Dawn seemed to hover around the pups, especially Lily, and seemed to be more inclined to give them hugs and similar forms of physical affection today, but said nothing about it. At least not until he and Dawn were alone in the minivan, the ewe having returned after escorting each of the children to class, giving them all one last big hug on the way, much to Alice's seeming embarrassment, despite what her wagging tail may have been insisting.

"Is something the matter, Lamb Chop?" Vernon asked as he started to pull out of the school's parking lot.

"Oh, Puppy," Dawn said, before explaining to her mate what Lily had told her that morning. As he listened, making sure to pay attention to the road, of course, his ears started to droop and his tail tried, and failed, to tuck itself while he sat in the driver's seat.

"I can't believe that someone, a mother, would just abandon her baby like that! What was she thinking!" Dawn said, incensed.

"Well now, Honey Lamb, that does sound purty awful," Vernon agreed, "but to be fair, we don't know the whole story."

"She just left her, Vernon!" Dawn said, still unable to fathom how anyone could do such a thing.

"Accordin' to Lily, it seems that way," Vernon nodded, "but she was really little at the time, and, like I said, we don't know the whole story."

"Maybe," Dawn reluctantly agreed, "but I intend to find out the whole story. And when I find her... _that_ female, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind for just up and abandoning _my_ baby!"

"Hon'," Vernon started as he pulled back onto their street, "are you sure that that's a good idea? Whatever Lily is, she's almost as big as you, so I imagine that a full grown member of her species is probably purty big, maybe even bigger than me."

"Doesn't matter!" Dawn said, puffing out her cheeks in anger, which unfortunately, according to Vernon, and just about anyone else who'd seen Dawn's 'angry face', it was actually quite adorable, thus defeating its own purpose.

"I know that you can be a force to be reckoned with," Vernon said, holding back a chuckle, "but... maybe it just wouldn't be a good idea to make contact with Lily's birth mother. Maybe there was a reason, or maybe she never intended on abandonin' her in the first place but somthin' happened or... maybe she's... y'know... no longer around..."

Dawn's anger deflated a little, and she let out her held breath. "I guess you do make a good point, Puppy Love," Dawn conceded, "but... Lily still deserves to know more about what species she is... I don't know, I thought that maybe..."

"Information about her birth mother might give you somethin' to go on?" Vernon offered as he pulled into their driveway.

"Well... yeah. This piece of information that Lily provided might just be the lead we need to move forward," Dawn said as she unbuckled herself and opened her door.

"I agree, Floofs," Vernon said, his tail breaking free to wag as he leaned over to share a kiss with his mate. "And just remember, Dawn, if anyone can do it, it'll be _ewe_ ," Vernon said, smiling smugly at the snort he got from Dawn.

"Vernon! You promised that you would stop with those jokes!" Dawn said, reaching over to playfully swat the wolf on his arm.

"Hey now, _ewe_ told me to stop, I never said that I would," he chuckled. Dawn rolled her eyes, smiling as she muttered about him and his dad jokes, and how they were now much more appropriate for him. With a quick goodbye, Vernon pulled back out and headed on into work, while Dawn waited for Judy to pull up. She didn't have to wait too long before Judy zipped up in the bunny-sized beat-up-looking truck her parents had given her last year. Dawn smiled as she greeted one of her closest friends, climbing into the passenger seat.

They started with the usual idle chatter as they made their way to their destination, Dawn talking about the most recent developments of being a parent, Judy excitedly talking about her police work, as well as news from the family farm back in Bunnyburrow. They pulled up to the newest cafe to have caught Dawn's eye, as it also doubled as a bookstore. Stopping to claim a table by the large window and placing their orders, the ewe and the bunny then softly spoke to one another as they perused the aisles, looking through various titles. Dawn told Judy about the children sleeping with them the previous night, which the officer found to be adorable, followed up by waking up and learning more of Lily's mysterious origin.

"So Lily was picked up two years ago, after her mother just left her in a park?" Judy asked. Dawn had known Judy long enough to be able to tell that the gears in Judy's mind were already starting to turn.

"Yes. It just made me so mad to think about... but... on the other hoof, now I have a little more information to work with for my research." Dawn picked up a small book of children's fairy tales.

"Has she given a description of her biological mother?" Judy asked, taking note of the frown on her friend's muzzle as she asked.

"Well, no, but out of fairness, a species this rare is going to stand out. All I have to do is find the park she was found in, and then start to ask around," Dawn said, putting the book back.

"Or Nick and I could do it," Judy offered, spying a detective book she had read when she was a child, her personal favorite of the Herdy Boys books, and grabbed it.

Dawn looked over at Judy in surprise. "Judy, I couldn't ask you to do that!"

"Why not?" was the bunny's response. "Nick and I can easily find and talk to the officer who picked Lily up, as well as ask around, And Nick is a natural when it comes to interviewing mammals."

Dawn rubbed her arm with her hoof. "It does sound like you can get further than I can on my own, but would that be allowed?"

"No rule against asking around if some mammals had seen a strange-looking mammal two years ago," Judy said with a shrug, noticing Dawn's growing excitement out of the corner of her amethyst eyes. "Besides," Judy casually continued, "as a potential godparent candidate, I of course want to help all three of your kits in any way I can."

Dawn froze, looking very much like a deer jogger she had seen once who had almost been run over after he had frozen in place, mid run, upon looking into a set of headlights from one of her neighbors' cars.

 _Sweet sawgrass, we haven't even discussed who the godparents will be!_ Dawn thought, feeling a momentary surge of panic.

 **Thank you very much for reading the newest chapter! This chapter was proofread by my very good friend,** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **, a very talented author whose stories I absolutely recommend! Please feel free to tell me what you think of the new chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello there, dear readers! I am so excited to have finished this new chapter of** _ **Found**_ **! This chapter was proofread by the still wonderful and amazing** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **! This story was inspired by the astoundingly powerful** _ **Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether**_ **and the sequel** _ **A Lamb Among Wolves**_ **, both written by the excellent** _ **WastedTimeEE**_ **!**

Found (Chapter 8)

by

Elite Shade

"That's my girl!" Vernon called out, a wide grin on his muzzle, his tail a blur. Alice had just scored a goal and was already jogging back to position. She looked up upon hearing that, and smiled a little awkwardly, the black pup's own tail wagging. Lily was perched on his shoulders, hugging the back of his neck as she peered over his head to excitedly watch the game. Vernon then turned his head to look back at Lily and smiled at her. "And there's my other girl." This made Lily smile and hug the large wolf.

Dawn giggled while she filmed the match on her phone, holding Trevor's hoof. "And that's my little guy." Vernon finished off, reaching over to ruffle the black lamb's head poof. Not for the first time since they had arrived, that had garnered a few stares that the family was pointedly ignoring.

"Oh! And Alice's got the ball again!" Dawn couldn't stop delightedly narrating as she filmed. Alice's team, the Dragons, was ahead by seven points and the family couldn't be prouder. Not that Dawn and Vernon hadn't already discussed ways to show that they were proud even if the pup's team had done poorly.

"Daddy, is Alice gunna get a trophy?" Vernon heard Lily ask into his ear.

"Well, her team has ter win a few more games first, but I'm thinkin' she's well on her way," Vernon said. "Why d'ya ask, sweetheart?"

"'Cause she's never gotten a trophy before, and I know that she really wants to win one," Lily said, watching her big sister energetically running around, passing the ball to a teammate, to have it passed back shortly after while she was in a position to fire it into the goal before the zebra boy goalie could stop it.

"Well, don't you worry, Lily," Vernon said, reaching up to ruffle Lily's headfur, making her giggle, "sooner or later, it's gunna happen, right darlin'?"

Dawn looked up at her mate and littlest daughter and smiled reassuringly. "Absolutely. In fact, we might even have to build a shelf just for trophies," Dawn said, suddenly thinking that that might be a fun project for them and the children to do together, her ears perking at the sounds of Lily and Trevor snickering.

"And what's so funny about that?" Vernon asked, having also heard the two.

"Mommy showed us the picture of you getting the doll house you built stuck on your muzzle," Trevor piped up, the idea of their father building something sparking the memory.

Vernon looked over to his mate. "You just had to show 'em that picture, didn't ya?" Dawn nodded at this, looking a little guilty, but also like she might join in on the snickering.

"I'll have you both know that that weren't no dollhouse. When I first started work at the department it was as an internship, building houses for Little Rodentia. That there was a house for a nice mouse family that moved here from Manehatten, which we luckily got it unstuck just in time for 'em." Vernon looked proud as he spoke.

"But how'd you get it stuck on your nose, Daddy?" Lily asked.

"Well, I was finishin' up on some of the final touches on the inside... and I had to get real close to look at it... and next thing I knew, my nose was stuck." Vernon smiled at the sounds of Lily and Trevor's laughter, accompanying the sight of Alice passing the ball to a giraffe boy who scored the final goal for the game, bringing the total to 67 points to 66. Not only did he feel a swell of pride for Alice for her team winning the game, but also for how well she already seemed to understand and respect team work. Soon enough, after the teams both said good game to each other, and the kindly female black bear coach had a few words with her exuberant team, Alice was jogging over to where her family was.

"We won!" she said, jumping up and down.

"You sure did," Vernon said, reaching down to scoop Alice up into a hug.

"Congratulations, sweetie!" Dawn said, taking a second to save her footage of the game, making a mental note to send copies to the rest of the family. "You were amazing!"

Alice started to look uncomfortable at being praised so much, but her wagging tail belied her true feelings.

"I'm thinkin' that this calls fer a stop fer some ice cream," Vernon said, suddenly wincing at Lily's cheer, the little mystery mammal instantly noticing her father's reaction and remembering when she had been told about how sensitive a wolf's hearing was.

"Sorry, Daddy," Lily said, to be met with a chuckle.

"That's okay, princess," Vernon said, still carrying a now very embarrassed/happy Alice in his arms towards the car, "just try to remember that yer old mam's ears are sensitive."

Dawn and Trevor both shared a giggle as Dawn followed behind, putting her phone away.

"Well hey there, pretty lady," Dawn heard a voice say. She wasn't sure if she was the one being addressed, but she stopped and turned to see who had spoken anyway. Standing a few feet away from her was a ram with a sly grin, looking in her direction. It took Dawn a second to realize that he was the new assistant coach.

"The name's Leonard Hoofton," he said with that grin still plastered on his muzzle, "I don't believe that I've caught yours."

"Oh, w-well, I'm Dawn Hu-" Dawn said, cut off by the sudden proximity of the ram, instinctively thinking to pull Trevor behind herself.

"I saw that big wolf crowding you. If you want, I could have a talk with him and get him to give you some space at the next match," Leonard said with a wink. Dawn frowned at that.

 _The only mammal who is crowding me is you,_ Dawn thought, not vocalizing this so as to remain polite in front of one of her children.

"He's actually my mate," Dawn said explained. She frowned some more when she saw the ram roll his eyes.

"Oh, c'mon now. You don't need to go and make up excuses. A simple no would suffice."

Growing frustrated, Dawn switched the hooves that she was holding Trevor's in, and showed off the red half-moon tithe mark, ginning a little to herself at the look of shock on the grown ram's face, before continuing on, still holding onto Trevor's hoof.

"Who was that, mommy?" Trevor innocently asked.

"A type of mammal that is a perfect example of what not to be when you grow up," Dawn said chipperly, making her son smile. They soon reached the car, Vernon having already buckled Lily in, Alice sitting next to her.

"Everythin' alright, darlin'?" he asked as they approached, Trevor climbing in.

"Oh, I'll tell you about it later," Dawn said, smiling first at him, and then at all three of her lambs. Once everyone was buckled in, Vernon drove them to the nearest ice cream shop. Dawn got out to put money in the meter while Vernon helped the kids to get unbuckled and out onto the sidewalk. Resuming her "helicopter" parenting style that had become her norm, the ewe took Alice and Lily's paws in her hooves, while Vernon started to carry Trevor. The large grey wolf held the door open for his mate and girls, following behind. He transferred the lamb to his shoulders, his tail swishing contentedly as he and his family waited in line.

"So what d'you think you'll have, Trevor?" he asked, looking up to see the black lamb scanning the menu.

"Oooh, can I have the chocolate turf crunch?" Trevor asked. Vernon smiled, figuring that Trevor would have picked his favorite flavor of grass-based ice cream.

"Well o'course, buddy," Vernon responded as the hippo in the blue jogging suit in front of them continued to stare blankly at the menu.

"And I think I'll be havin' the strawberry beetle cheesecake," Vernon said.

"What about you girls?" Vernon said, looking down, taking in Aice who seemed to have zeroed in on a specific selection on the menu. He looked up and wondered what it was before spotting the most likely choice. The caramel apple ice cream. Vernon chuckled.

"See something you like, Allie?" he asked, shocking the pup out of her almost-trance.

"Uh... maybe," Alice said, trying to look nonchalant, prompting another chuckle from Vernon and a giggle from Dawn.

"And what about you, Lily?" Dawn asked, giving Lily's furless paw a squeeze.

"Uhm... can I try the strawberry beetle like Daddy?" Lily looked tentative as she asked it.

"You sure can," Dawn said, pulling Lily a little closer when she noticed a few seated patrons staring at the little mystery mammal. She gave them a withering glare, but was thankful that Lily didn't seem to notice it.

"What'll you have, Mommy?" she asked, looking at the ewe in curiosity.

"Hmm, I think I'll go with the mixed forb sorbet," Dawn said.

"Maybe they should call it a mixed _forbet_ ," Vernon said, making himself chuckle. Lily and Trevor both giggled, while Alice held back, not trying to laugh at another terrible "dad-joke". In the time she had come to know her new father, the pup had quickly learned that he had a love for puns. She had even been told the story of how he had annoyed a sheep sales clerk at a store that sold all ewe-pun related items. Dawn rolled her eyes, but smiled at her mate's antics.

The hippo made his order, an octuple scoop of eight different flavors in a large mammal size chocolate and sprinkle coated waffle cone. Finally, it was their turn to order. The teenaged female badger behind the counter seemed relieved at the comparatively smaller orders. Seeing her reminded Vernon of his brother Ulric, who had sent another text asking about the shaved ape, referring to Lily, who had called earlier that morning.

 _Where he got shaved ape from, I'll never guess,_ Vernon thought to himself. Ulric's girlfriend, Honey, while sharing his belief in conspiracies and such, seemed much more grounded in reality, at least in comparison with his brother. The call had been about something to do with the tides changing, and how that somehow led to claims of a larger shaved ape in the woods of the Meadowlands. His explanations were long and, as per usual, contradictory. But the gist that Vernon got from it was that Ulric, as well as Honey, were going to be using his upcoming vacation time to search for a shaved ape... or catsquatch. Thankfully, that was going to be next week. They took their orders and found a booth to sit at. Lily and Trevor sat in Vernon's lap, while Alice was seated next to Dawn. The family all found Vernon getting a spot of his ice cream on the very tip of his nose and, no matter how many times he licked it, he kept missing the spot. They talked about the game and the trip that they were going to be leaving for in under two hours. Soon enough, they were piling back into the car, and headed home.

Dawn helped the children to pack, pretending not to notice Alice making sure to pack her stuffed bunny, Princess Floppington, after Alice had changed out of her jersey. Trevor packed some of his books, and Lily a few coloring books and her sketch pad. Once they were packed, Dawn packed her own bag, as Vernon finished up his. They shared a smile as their eyes met, leaning down to share a kiss.

Checking the time, Dawn called a Zuber, driven by a cheerful aardvark, who drove them to the train station. Dawn pulled Lily and Trevor close to herself, while Vernon carried the luggage, with Alice helping. They received some more stares, a few notably unfriendly ones, as they waited in line together at the ticket counter. Vernon scanned his phone for their tickets, and then it was just a matter of waiting. So, after taking a seat on a nearby bench, that's just what they did. Vernon was taking turns with Trevor playing a game on his phone, while Alice sat between them and Dawn, who was keeping an eye on her and Lily.

Lily looked all around at the train station, as well at all the passing mammals. She was swinging her legs as she looked on in wide-eyed wonder at the massive trains.

"Excited, sweetie?" Dawn asked. Lily looked to her and nodded enthusiastically.

"Uh-huh! I've never been on a train before, Mommy!"

Dawn spotted some passing mammals do a double take at the sight of the strange mammal calling the ewe mommy, but ignored them. She was delighted to see how enthusiastic Lily was.

"And what about you, honey?" Dawn asked Alice, surprising the pup.

"Uh... I... sure," Alice said. Dawn reached over and gave her a squeeze. Soon enough, their train had arrived, the passengers clearing out. Making sure that they had everything, they all boarded. Dawn kept a firm grip on Alice and Lily's paws as Vernon, now with Trevor riding his left shoulder, carried the luggage on board. He stored it in the compartment above, and took a seat. Dawn sat down, all three children between them, and they waited as the rest of the passengers boarded. Since this was a trip to the Meadowlands, there were many caprids who boarded. Various sheep and goats walking by, picking seats, some taking note of the mixed-species family. Of course, there were more than a few wolves heading to the Meadowlands as well, and some of them noticed the family. And there were many other species that boarded, all either for the Meadowlands or the stops along the way. Soon the train started to pull out.

All three of the children grew excited as they stood in their seats and turned to stare out the window at the passing sights. They went from the Savannah Central station, through to Tundra Town. The train stopped and some mammals disembarked. A few more boarded, and then the train was off again. They soon passed through Saharah Square, the heaters having switched off in favor of the AC.

"See that spot over there?" Vernon pointed to an area where there was some construction underway, an artificial oasis being dug out of the ground. The children all nodded.

"That area there is gunna to be where the library I'm designing is gunna be built!" Vernon said with pride.

"Wow! Can we go when it's built?" Trevor asked.

"Sure thing, li'l buddy," Vernon said, patting Trevor's head floof.

"I bet it's gonna be pretty." Lily said, entranced by all the different buildings they were passing. They came to a stop once more, and were soon moving on through the rainforest district. Alice looked up at the tree-top shops, while Lily and Trevor pressed their noses up against the glass, looking at all the greenery. After a stop there, it was time for the train to head to the Meadowlands. Dawn and Vernon shared a happy look, knowing that opting for this train line, while a little more expensive than the subway they had taken on their first trip out as a couple, was definitely the better choice, as it was much more scenic and clearly enjoyable for their lambs. It was another half an hour before they were pulling in to their station, Vernon once more resuming his role as de facto pack-emu, while Dawn herded their children out of the train.

Dawn squinted a little in the considerably brighter mid-afternoon light, after exiting the station, looking around. She stopped and smiled when she spotted a familiar beat-up looking pick-up truck parked at the curb. As soon as she spotted it, the driver's side door opened, and out came Audrey, her mother-in-law. The older she-wolf practically bounded over in excitement. She was dressed in her usual jeans and flannel shirt, and was sporting an excited grin. She came to a stop before them, her tail wagging so fast, Dawn was a little worried that she might sprain it. She looked them over, especially the children.

"Hiya, pups," she said, ecstatic, "I'm your grandma, Audrey!" She took note of the little black wolf pup standing in front of the other two, defensively, and remembered what Dawn and Vernon had told her.

"Hello," Alice said, polite and serious, looking surprised when Lily walked forward, a wide grin on her face. Vernon had explained to her, a few times, that grandma Audrey and grandpa Dorian were both nice, which seemed to have emboldened his youngest pup.

"H-hi, Grandma," she said, opening her arms. With no hesitation whatsoever, Audrey bent down and scooped her up, unable to resist also scooping up Trevor and Alice, who let out a surprised and uncharacteristic yip, as they all found themselves being cuddled. Lily giggled, especially when Audrey started to sniff each of them over, committing their scents to memory. This of course brought happy and tickle-related giggles from each of them.

"I'm just so darn happy to finally be meetin' y'all!" Audrey said, biting back a happy howl, not wanting to set off the other wolves that happened to be in hearing distance.

"Don't go crushin' 'em now, Ma," Vernon joked.

"Oh, hush, Puppy," Audrey said, giving the kids another loving squeeze. She did notice that the little hairless mammal was looking up at her, her head cocked to the side in curiosity.

"You and Daddy have the same fur color," Lily stated.

"We sure do, Sweet Pea," Audrey said, cuddling her grandpups close still, not looking like she was planning on putting them down anytime soon. "Your daddy sure does take after me quite a bit." This made Vernon blush as he started to load the luggage into the back of the truck.

"And of course, I'm happy to have you two back here as well," Audrey then addressed Vernon, who was loading the luggage into the back of the truck, and Dawn, who already had her phone whipped out and was snapping pictures.

"We're happy to be back, with our little lambs, Mom," Dawn said, still feeling a surge of happiness course through her at getting to call the older she-wolf that.

"Y'know, Ma," Vernon started as he loaded the last piece, which was Trevor's backpack with the Samurai Snakes logo on it, "You can't really drive while huggin' all the pup at once."

"Can too," Audrey said, before giving one more squeeze, and then setting them all down, "but let's not risk it." Dawn was already starting to herd them towards the truck, while Vernon hopped up into the back. Dawn helped the children up and get settled in, reaching over to help Alice with her seatbelt after she had climbed up herself and found her to be having a little trouble with it. Audrey smiled brightly as she clambered back in and fired up the engine.

"Dori wanted ter come, but he's still on his shift. Don't worry though, he'll be along shortly," Audrey said as they pulled away from the train station and headed in the direction of the Hunter Ranch.

"Is Grampa really the sheriff?" Lily asked, looking over to her grandma, expectantly.

"He sure is," Audrey said proudly. "He's the sheriff of the entire North Meadowlands."

It wasn't much longer before the ranch started to come into view. They started passing the crops of corn and pumpkins as they turned onto a gravel driveway. Audrey pulled them to a stop, putting the truck in park, and stepping out. Vernon smiled at the sight of the two-story building, looking just as good as it always did. The two-storey wooden home in clear view brought back memories that made his tail swish. He hopped out and started to unload the luggage, just as Dawn was hopping out. Vernon saw his mother exit the driver's side door, once more cuddling all three pups close in her arms, effectively carrying them, much to their delight. Even Alice who, as per usual, was trying to look embarrassed. It was then that a cruiser pulled in, with the sheriff's logo on the side. Out stepped the large white wolf that was Dorian Hunter, who removed his wide-brimmed hat to wipe his forehead, smiling as his steel grey eyes took in the new arrivals.

"Hey, Dori!" He turned to his mate as she held up the pups in her arms for him to see. "Look what I caught!" This elicited not only some more happy squeals from the children, but a deep rumbling chuckle from the old law dog. His chuckle tapered off a little when he spotted the strange unknown mammal in his mate's arms, and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly, but he was quick to remedy that as he approached. The feeling of deja vu still pestered him at the back of his mind.

 **I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Please feel free to leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Phew! It took quite a bit of effort to break through this most recent wall of writer's block, but FINALLY! I am especially happy, and excited, to bring to you the newest chapter of** _ **Found**_ **!**

 **Special thanks to** _ **WastedTimeEE**_ **not only for giving me permission to write this story using his awesome characters, but also for helping me with the characters themselves! :)**

Found (Chapter 9)

by

Elite Shade

"Now ya knead the dough like so," Audrey's voice floated in from the kitchen, all the way into the living room, where presently Vernon and Dorian were sitting. "There ya go! Just like that! Yer a pro just like yer granny!"

Vernon smiled as his tail started to thump at the sounds of his pups laughing and chatting with his mother. When Audrey had proposed teaching the kids how to bake a pie, they had jumped at the chance. Dawn had been quick to whip her phone out to start recording, continuing to document as many happy family moments as she could.

"Sounds like Ma's teachin' 'em how to bake her pumpkin pie,"Vernon said to the older, white wolf. Dorian let out a low rumbling chuckle.

"Yer mother's been lookin' forward to finally gettin' to meet 'em," he said.

"And what 'bout you, Pa?" Vernon asked, smiling. He noticed the brief pause Dorian took before answering.

"Well, of course I'm excited to finally be a grandpa, and that I get to meet my grandpups," Dorian said, his gaze shifting a little.

"Something wrong, Pa?" Vernon asked.

"W-well, no, Vern, nothin's wrong..." Dorian started to rub the back of his head, looking uncomfortable. "I was just wonderin' about yer littlest... pup."

"Lily?" Vernon asked, "what about her?"

"Have you and Dawn managed to... uhm... figure out just what she is?" Dorian bluntly asked.

Vernon blinked. "No, but Dawn thinks that her friends at the ZPD might be able to uncover somthin'."

"Oh, well, uh, good," Dorian said, looking about as awkward as the moment itself had become.

"But we don't know fer certain if we'll learn anything," Vernon continued, not liking where this conversation was going. "Not that it matters. She's our pup, just like her brother and sister."

The white wolf's icy-blue eyes winced. "Well, o-of course, Vern... it's just that..." Dorian trailed off, looking unsure about what he wanted to say.

"What, Pa?"

"I don't know, exactly," Dorian explained, meeting his son's gaze, "but ever since y'all sent us those first pictures, I've been gettin' this feelin' in the back of my mind like I've seen something like her before... only I can't fer the life of me remember where."

"You mean you've encountered her species before?"

"No, son, and I would remember if I did. There's just something about her that's nagging at me in the back of my mind. But, as hard as I try to recall it, it just slips away."

"You'll tell us if you do remember, right Pa?"

"Well 'course, Vern," Dorian said with a smile, "the second I can think of it, I'll call you and Dawn right up to let'cha know."

It was just then that Audrey proudly walked in, once more carrying Lily, Trevor, and Alice in her arms, Dawn following behind and still filming.

"Welp," Audrey started over the giggling of Lily and Trevor, "they're all naturals when it comes to baking."

"Uh," Alice said, squirming a little in Audrey's arm, "G-grandma?"

"Yes, sweet pea?" the she-wolf.

"Can I get down now?" Alice asked.

"Awww," Audrey said in mock disappointment, before giving one more hug, and setting the three down.

"Uhm... where's the bathroom?" the black pup asked.

"I'll show you, sweetie," Dawn said as she tapped on her phone and put it away. She then took Alice's paw, which made the inside of the pup's ears blush, and started to lead her down the hall. Vernon then found himself with a lapful of giggling children.

"We made pies, Daddy!" Lily said, excitedly.

"So I heard," Vernon said, wrapping his arms around them both.

"We made one each!" Trevor said, letting out an involuntary bleat of joy.

"Well, I can't wait to try each one after dinner tonight," Vernon said, ruffling Lily's head mane and Trevor's head floof. Audrey stood there and wiped away a happy tear while Dorian smiled... but found his eyes kept focusing on Lily. He felt that slight sense of unease return, but pushed it back down. They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing, making all of the canids' ears perk up.

"I wonder who that is?" Audrey said as she walked out of the living room. She opened the front door, surprised to see a familiar wolf and badger standing there on the welcome mat, both wearing backpacks much larger than themselves.

"Ully? Honey? We... eh... weren't expectin' you two fer another week," she said as she blinked in confusion.

"I was able to get off work ahead of time, Mama," Ulric said, his tail wagging, "and we heard about the sightings and the mysterious campfires, and knew that the investigation couldn't wait any longer!" Ulric said with manic excitement.

"Lamb sakes, Ully," Audrey said, stepping aside to let the two in, "that's just some kids out partyin'."

"That's what they want you to believe!"

"Ully, who's they?" Audrey asked.

"The Secret Society of Shaved Simians!" Ulric pointed a finger skyward as he said this in triumph. "You see, thanks to patterns involving chemtrails, I've discovered that there's a secret plot to observe and potentially invade the Northern, and maybe even the Southern, Meadowlands! Where the shaved apes will then attempt to abduct, eliminate, and disguise themselves as various mammals."

"Or it's just Catsquatch," Honey interjected with a smirk. "We currently have a bet going as to who's right. Loser has to do whatever the other says."

"And what happens if you're both wrong?" Audrey asked. She had been surprised at how much she had come to enjoy the badger who had become the mate of Ulric. She loved all of her sons, and daughters-in-law, equally, but she would be lying to claim that she hadn't been worried about Ulric, especially when he would go off his meds. But Honey seemed to have an uncanny ability to rein him, mostly, back in.

Honey shrugged. "A do-over with the next conspiracy."

"Well, there isn't a conspiracy here," Audrey said as she showed them in, "it's just going to be some teenagers that you'll find."

"Or they'll just **look** like teenagers!" Ulric supplied.

"Ully," Audrey said, holding up a paw and halting her son in his tracks, "yer brother and Dawn are here, and they brought their pups with them." Ulric's tail started to wag in excitement.

"And did they bring the unknown species with them? Excellent! We'll have an opportunity to observe the-" Ulric was cut off by a low growl. His ears laid flat and his tail tucked itself between his legs as he looked up at the angry face of his mother. It wasn't quite her _glare_ , which all knew to fear, but it still rendered him petrified.

"There ain't gunna be anymore talk like that, Ulric," Audrey said in a low voice. "She is a little girl, her name is Lily, and she's your niece."

"B-but c-can I at l-least collect some samples, Mama?" Ulric asked, a tremble in his voice.

"I'm pretty sure the answer is a no," Honey interjected. She gave Audrey a wink just as Ulric stuttered out a dejected "understood". The she-wolf's muzzle broke into a smile, her tail swishing back and forth.

"Well alright then, let's go and introduce you two," Audrey said as she turned. Ulric looked to Honey and let out a whine.

"Don't look at me, Ully," the badger said as she shrugged out of her pack and set down a bag she was carrying, "I'm in agreement with your mom on this one."

"You always take her side," he grumbled in response.

"Only when she's right," Honey said with a playful smirk. The two walked together towards the living room, where they could hear Audrey's voice, along with Vernon's.

"-said that they weren't gunna be here until next week?"

"Well, they seemed to have a bit of a change of plans," Audrey said, looking a little sheepish.

"Kids," she said, addressing Trevor and Lily, "I'd like fer you ta meet yer uncle Ulric and your auntie Honey."

Ulric entered, Honey leading him by the arm.

"H-hello," he said, twitching a little. His gaze immediately zeroed in on the strange little mostly furless mammal sitting on his brother's lap. He briefly took note of the little lamb boy looking at him, but his focus was on the mystery mammal.

 _Assuming that she even is a mammal!_ was the thought that ran through his head at that moment, followed by an idea of how she might possibly be reptilian, or even part cephalopod.

"Hi, Uncle Ulric!" Trevor said, giving a wave.

"H-hi, Auntie Honey," Lily said, feeling shy and ducking her face a little behind Trevor's head floof.

"Hello there, kids," the badger said in a friendly voice.

"Hey, Ully, hey Honey," Vernon greeted the couple.

"Vernon! Wait, wasn't there a third one?" Ulric said, suddenly looking around.

"Yeah, Alice," Vernon explained, "Dawn showed her where the bathroom is."

"And you're sure that that's not just part of some plot to observe me in secret?" Ulric said, checking behind himself as though the two were going to be right there. Vernon rolled his eyes just as his ears perked up. He looked down at his lap to see his youngest pup sitting there, giggling while looking at her "energetic" uncle.

"You and Mommy were right, Daddy," she said, turning to face him, "Uncle Ully is silly!"

Ulric froze when he heard that, and turned to face Vernon, who was now rubbing the back of his neck.

"Silly? Is that what you've been telling your pups? Silly?! I am a serious researcher, Vern! Just last month, after finding a message hidden in the pattern of a spiderweb I almost walked into, I went looking for a unicorn, and I almost caught him on camera too!"

"Wait, ya mean that wildebeest truck driver who punched you out?" Vernon asked, taking a moment to try and remember the event in question. "Yer right, Ully, where are my manners. I should let my pups form their own conclusions."

"Hey now, he was in disguise! And I almost got him to show me his secret horn!" Dorian rolled his eyes as Vernon looked to be holding back laughter, while Audrey politely coughed into her paw, loud enough to be heard.

"Let's not discuss that incident in front of the pups, okay?" she said, grateful that Honey was distracting Trevor and Lily, whom she had led off of the couch and Vernon's lap a little bit away from the adult conversation, with a discussion about an upcoming game she had gotten some leaked footage of. Not that Audrey understood any of that techno whatsits. Ulric whined, but was quickly silenced by a look from Dorian, and nodded.

"I'll send your mom and dad the video later, okay?" Honey said with a smile.

"Okay, Aunt Honey!" Trevor said excitedly. Lily seemed about as enthusiastic as her brother, although the discussion of the game had gone a little bit over her head. Honey smiled and ruffled their heads before turning to address her mate.

"C'mon, Ully, we need to get all unpacked," she said.

"Alright," Ulric said, giving Lily a wide berth as he started to follow Honey, giving her a few more side glances as he exited the room. "I hope that the storm front doesn't negatively affect our equipment."

"Nah, once we get everything set up, it'll all be fine," came Honey's voice from the hall.

"Why do I get the feelin' that that ain't gunna end well?" Dorian asked.

"Because Ully's plans hardly ever end any other way, Pa?" Vernon chimed in.

"Oh hush, you two," Audrey said, just as Dawn returned with Alice, this time not holding her paw.

"We just encountered Ulric and Honey," the ewe said, "I take it that them meeting Trevor and Lily was... interesting?" Alice had taken the opportunity to sneak up behind her brother and sister in order to tackle them.

"Heh, it coulda been worse," Vernon said while smiling as their pups rolled around on the floor, all trying to pin each other. Dorian smirked at the sight while Audrey cooed.

"Oh, kids," Dawn said, making the trio pause and look towards her, "let's save the roughhousing for outside, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Lily and Trevor chorused, while Alice said "Sure."

"Oh please, Dawn," Audrey said with a wave of her paw, "that doesn't even compare to what Vernon and his brothers got up to when they were around their age range... and even when they were older." The she-wolf was looking in Vernon's direction.

"Uh, hey kids," he said, hopping up from where he was sitting, "how 'bout we go explore the corn field?"

"Okay!" Lily said, heading for the door, prompting a still rowdy, and giggling, Alice to give chase, followed by Trevor. Vernon followed behind them, his tail wagging while his mother rolled her eyes. Dawn put her hooves to her muzzle as she let out a light laugh.

"Just like his old mam," Audrey said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the law wolf asked.

"How about all those times you took the boys outside to drill them on police takedowns?"

Dawn started to head outside as well, just to make sure that the children would be careful not to fall into the stream, or get lost in the corn field.

"I was just makin' sure that what I was teachin' 'em was stickin', Auddey!"

"And that just so happened to be right when I wanted to have a little chat with you about the _tree incident_?"

"Uh... coincidence?" The little ewe could hear the sheepish smile on her father-in-law's muzzle. When she exited out the front door, she saw Vernon sitting there on the porch swing, gazing out at the cornfield, listening to the laughter of their pups. Dawn took a seat next to him, taking one of his large paws in her small hooves. They sat together, occasionally checking the time on Dawn's phone. They sat there for a while, once spotting Ulric lugging something made of bright blue cloth out to the woods, hurrying back.

"It's just about time fer Zach and Vanna's shift to end, so I'm expectin' that they'll both be along shortly," Vernon said after they checked the time once again. Dawn nodded and gave his paw a happy squeeze.

"Kids," she called out. There was some more laughter before Trevor, followed by Alice and Lily, popped out from within the corn stalks. Dawn smiled and beckoned the pups over. "Your going to be meeting your uncle and auntie Zach and Vanna real soon."

"And they're just gunna love y'all," Vernon said. "So how's about we all head inside and wait fer 'em? Maybe we can all try those pies of yers?" That put more of a hustle in the excited children's step as they hurried inside. Dawn looked them each over as they ran past, checking to make sure that they hadn't gotten hurt, despite Vernon's earlier assurance. After Audrey served the pups a slice of their pies, they didn't have to wait long before Dorian's ears perked, picking up the sound of tires pulling up on the gravel driveway.

"They're here," he said, getting up to head to the door. He side-stepped around Lily, who was busy with her OMO coloring book, humming as she colored in one of the ostriches picking cherries. She reached for her crayons and didn't notice how when her paw came close to the white wolf's leg, he shied away a bit. It was ever so slight, but one set of eyes caught it. Unbeknownst to Dorian, his mate saw, and frowned a little, making a mental note to speak to him about it. Dorian made it to the door just in time to see his son and his daughter in law stepping up the porch steps. He greeted them, and Zach, as was usual for him, was excited to meet his nieces and nephew. Vanna, while stoic, seemed a little nervous to the older law wolf.

With a wide smile on his muzzle, Zach hurried into the living room, taking in the sight of Trevor, who was presently sitting in Audrey's lap, laughing at the pictures in the photo album she was showing him, while Alice was play-wrestling with Lily, who was now giggling, her coloring book forgotten for the time being.

"Hey, pups!" Zach said, opening his arms wide. "I'm yer uncle Zach!" He then bent down and, much like his mother had done earlier in the day, picked Alice and Lily up in a hug. Lily was quick to reciprocate, and Alice had let out another surprised yip before blushingly returning the hug as well. He then set them down, to look the two over. "Now, I take it that yer Alice," he said to the black pup before turning his attention to her sister, "and yer Lily."

"Uh-huh!" Lily said excitedly.

"And I'd be willin' ter bet that yer Trevor," Zach said, his tail a happy blur. Trevor shyly nodded. Audrey wrapped a free arm around him and gave him a gentle squeeze.

"You'll have to get in line, Zach," Audrey said with a wink, "grandmas get priority when it comes to hugs."

"Awww," Zach said in mock disappointment, before leaning down to stage-whisper to the girls. "Don't worry, I'll get him just as soon as Ma lets her guard down." Alice and Lily giggled, all the while Dawn filmed. Vernon and Dorian chuckled at the display, and Vanna stood in the doorway, nervously shuffling her feet. She then noticed all eyes in the room were upon her, and Zach was beckoning her forward. "And here's your auntie Vanna!"

Lily was standing closest to the tigress, and stood there, staring. Vanna fidgeted a little, still feeling nervous. Internally, she was afraid that she might be scary for the pups, and was worried that she would be known as the _scary_ aunt. She was starting to look towards her mate for help, when she heard the soft voice of Lily.

"Wow... you're pretty!"

Vanna wasn't expecting that, especially considering how self-conscious she was about her appearance, the semi-regular occurrence of citizens mistaking her for a male officer being a factor there as well. But with that one statement, a blush spread across her face, and she let out an inadvertent happy _chuff_. Zach heard it, and his tail resumed wagging, knowing that that was a sign of his kitten's happiness.

"Thank you, uhm, Lily," Vanna said, a smile spreading across her blushing face when Lily reached her arms out for a hug. Bending down, the tigress wrapped both of her arms around her youngest niece and gently hugged her.

With the ice successfully broken, it didn't take long for the pups to warm up to their uncle and auntie. Zach was quick to ask them about the things they enjoyed doing, with Vanna chiming in. As they talked, Ulric could occasionally be seen poking his head in. Sometimes to stare at Lily, other times to stare at Dawn and Trevor. He looked about to say something when Honey dragged him off to look at something. It was approaching dinnertime when Dorian stood up and stretched a little, saying something about wanting to change out of his uniform. As he stepped around Lily again, who was too busy showing Vanna a picture she was drawing, Audrey saw once again him shying away from getting too close, and frowned.

The she-wolf stood up and promptly followed her mate out of the room.

"Do y'all wanna tell me what that was all about?" she asked, once she was sure that they were out of earshot of everyone. Dorian turned, looking surprised, his ears splaying flat on his head.

"What'cha mean, Darlin'?" he asked, knowing exactly what his mate was referring to, but trying to play innocent.

Audrey snorted and rolled her eyes. "Everytime Lily gets near you, ya shy away from her, like she's contagious or somethin'."

The white wolf winced at that. "W-well, Auddey, I'm not sure what ya think ya s-" he was cut off by a low growl. Audrey's face took on a dark look as, Dorian knew, was the onset of _the Glare_. "Okay, okay!" He held up both paws defensively. Audrey's features softened, but she was still looking stern as she stood there, arms crossed, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Dorian sighed and ran a paw through the fur on his head. "It's just that... she's somethin' that no one knows anything about. Sure, part of me feels like I've seen somethin' like her before, but fer the life of me, I can't remember anything other than that... It's just a little unsettlin' fer me, Darlin'."

Audrey was silent for a moment, the only sound audible was a nearby clock ticking. "Someone," Audrey said in a low voice.

"'Scuse me?" Dorian asked, confused.

"She's someone, not some _thing_ ," Audrey said.

"That's what I meant to say, Auddey," Dorian said, once again holding up both paws.

"She's also our grandpup," Audrey continued as though Dorian hadn't spoken, "and she's a sweet little girl, who hasn't done anything wrong, and doesn't deserve fer ya to flinch away from her like she was made of Nighthowlers. Yer lucky she, nor anyone else fer that matter, hadn't noticed how you've been actin'."

"I... I know..." Dorian looked down at his paws, having started to wring them. "I'm gunna try to interact with her more."

A smile crept up her muzzle. "That's more like it. I can tell ya that she, just like her brother and sister, were really nervous 'bout meetin' us. Remember what Clover said when she called?"

Dorian nodded, still clearly looking guilty. "I do, Darlin', and I mean it. I'm gunna try to be a better grandpappy." After he said that, Dorian found himself embraced by his mate, her tail wagging.

"Good! 'Sides, we can't have her and Cameron become their favorite grammy and pappy easily," she said, prompting a chuckle from Dorian as he hugged her back.

"It's not a competition, Auddey," he said, just knowing that she was rolling her eyes in response.

"Oh, o'course it's not, Dori," was her canned response. Having that taken care of, Audrey let Dorian go to change out of his work clothes, while she decided to get dinner started. Vanna and Vernon offered to help her, while Zach played with the pups, having already kept his promise of hugging his nephew when Audrey wasn't looking, much to Trevor's delight. Dawn filmed, feeling a warmth in her chest at how happy her lambs were to be meeting members of their family. The memory of when she had first come to the ranch and of how tumultuous that had been briefly flitted across her mind. But Dawn was determined to make sure that this first visit was one that would absolutely be a happy experience for her children.

Dorian returned shortly after, now in just a flannel shirt and jeans. He took in the sight of Zach mock-wrestling with Alice as Trevor now sat in Vanna's lap, the tigress looking a little uncomfortable but definitely doing her best to feign excitement as he showed her his collection of Samurai Snake action figures. Dorian chuckled before he was surprised by a slight tugging on his pant leg, and looked down to see Lily. She stood there, smiling trepidatiously.

"Yes, eh, sweetpea?" Dorian asked, feeling a little awkward but pressing on. Lily held up a piece of paper for him to take.

"I made you this, Grampa," she said, her voice filled with the hope that he would enjoy her drawing. Dorian took the paper and saw a picture of himself in his sheriff uniform, complete with sunglasses, smiling in front of the corn field. He beamed with a twinkle in his eye, as he admired how well it was drawn for a six-year-old.

"Well now," he said as he reached down to ruffle her headmane, "this here's a work o' art if I've ever seen one."

"You like it, Grampa?" she asked, delighted.

"I sure do. Why, I think you could have a career as a police sketch artist!" Dorian said, meaning it.

"Really?" Lily asked, "What's that?"

"It's someone who listens to the description of a mammal and then draws them, so that the police and everyone else knows who ta keep an eye out fer," Dorian said.

With a wide smile, she reached over and hugged Dorian's shins. He stiffened a little, and reached down to pat her head, trying to push past the unsettled feeling in his gut.

"Now, how 'bout I show y'all how ter perform some police takedowns?" he said loud enough for all three children to hear.

"Okay!" Alice said as she stood up. Trevor looked excited and hopped off of Vanna's lap, while Lily let go of his leg and started bouncing in place, thrilled to have her other new grandpa show her something.

"Alright, now, before I show ya, y'all gotta remember that this is only fer you to use in self-defense only, got it?" Dorian asked, seriously. Once all three pups nodded, his tail wagged a bit. "Alright then, Zach, c'mere. And Dawn, be sure to get this on film."

"Uh, Pa, m-maybe Dawn and Vernon don't want their pups to learn somethin' like this just yet," Zach tried, looking suddenly nervous.

"Oh, me and Puppy discussed it on the way here," Dawn chimed in as she turned her phone to where Dorian was walking towards Zach, "and we have no problem with it."

"Uh... m-maybe ya wanna try it out on Vanna then? Y'know, to show the pups th-that it can work on a larger opponent," that got him a light swat on the back of his head from his mate.

"Quit yer stallin', boy, and c'mere," Dorian said. Zach let out a small whine, and then stepped up. "Now watch closely, pups. This one I'll show ya a few times so you can understand it better."

Vernon had come out of the kitchen to see what the several yelps he heard were all about, and saw his Pa with Zach on the floor, pinned underneath him.

"See what I mean, pups? Try as he might, he's not gunna get away. O'course right about now is when the cuff or zip ties get used," Dorian said.

"If ya want, Pa, I can go grab one of yer spares," Vernon offered with a smirk.

"TRAITOR!" Zach cried as he continued to wriggle.

"Thanks, Vern, I'd appreciate it," Dorian said. A few more takedowns and holds later and they were all informed that dinner was ready. Dawn made sure that all of her lambs washed up first before they sat down to what was yet another amazing meal by her mother in law. After dinner, Dorian, much to Zach's despair, showed them a few more takedowns, which of course Dawn also got on camera, before he started to tell them some funny stories from work.

The sky outside darkened, and Honey and Ulric periodically exited the house, carrying different electronic equipment. Soon enough, Dawn noticed that it was getting close to the children's bed time. After each hugging their uncle and auntie and their grandma and grandpa, Vernon started to herd them upstairs to the guest bedroom, so that they could get ready for bed. He was happy that his mother had lifted the rule against sons and their mates not staying in the same room, not only so that he could cuddle his ewe all night, but also to ensure that they were not too far away from the pups. Something he was quick to reassure them about as he tucked them in, the three sharing a large bed.

"I know that it can be weird goin' ta sleep in a new place. But me and Mommy will be right next door, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Trevor said, rubbing his eyes with his hooves. He was lying next to Alice, who was trying to hide Princess Floppington behind her back, one of the grey stuffed bunny's ears having flopped down to the side. Lily cuddled close to her brother and nodded to Vernon.

"Now, how 'bout a story?" Lily and Trevor both readily, if not sleepily, agreed, while Alice tried to play it off that she was only going along with what her younger siblings wanted.

 _Later that night..._

After Zach and Vanna had gone home, Dawn and Vernon stayed up a little longer, chatting with Vernon's parents. When Dorian had showed off the picture of him, he got a playful swat on the arm from Audrey, who wanted to know why he got one, but Grandma hadn't yet? She then took the picture and put it where it would be prominently on display in the kitchen, on the fridge. It wasn't much longer before Vernon and Dawn turned in for the night, followed shortly after by Audrey and Dorian. It was in the middle of the night when Dorian got up to get himself a glass of water.

Dorian yawned as he walked down the darkened hall, stopping as his ears perked up and heard the sound of sniffling and scratching. He tracked it to its source, the hall closet. He grabbed the knob and tried to pull the door open. The rising humidity had a tendency to make the door stick, so he had to give it a few tugs before it popped open fully. Inside he saw Lily, tears running down her cheeks.

"Lily?" Dorian asked, confused. "What're ya doin' in there?"

Lily sniffled and wiped her eyes before answering, tearstains having run down her furless cheeks.

"I got up to use the bathroom, and when I came out, I couldn't find the bedroom. I thought this was it, but when I realized that it was a closet, I tried to get out, but the door wouldn't open!" she said, hugging herself.

"Okay, it's okay, uh, sweetpea," he said, at first still feeling a little awkward around her. She reached out for him, and his paws flinched back a bit. The look of hurt on the child's face, even in the darkened hall, was enough to make Dorian feel like kicking himself. He then reached out and scooped Lily up into his arms.

"How about your grandpappy tells you some stories of when your papa was a pup and got himself stuck," Dorian said as he carried Lily downstairs.

"Daddy got stuck in places?" Lily asked, her sniffles beginning to subside as her curiosity grew.

"And things," Dorian said with a deep chuckle as he made his way to his study. He took a seat behind his desk in his large leather chair, and settled Lily in his lap.

"I remember one time, I entered the kitchen, hearing this whining sound. There, yer papa was no older'n four, with a jar of peanut butter stuck on his muzzle." Dorian smiled at the laugh this brought out of Lily. "He was so scared, I had to practically hold him down to pull it off. And when I did, he was still licking all around the outside and inside of his muzzle. Took him a big glass of almond milk to make him stop."

"So Daddy was always silly like that?" Lily asked in between bouts of laughter.

"Oh yeah. There was another time when he somehow got himself locked in the barn. He musta been ten when he did that." Dorian continued to regale Lily with stories of when Vernon had done other silly things, feeling a sense of joy at bonding with his littlest grandpup. He felt another twinge of guilt over how unsettled he had been by her earlier. Once more he attributed it to the feeling of deja vu. He then noticed Lily yawning more and more.

"I think that it might be time we get ya back to bed," Dorian said, beginning to stand up with Lily in his arms once more. She let out a yawn in response, followed by rubbing her eyes.

"Okay, Grandpa," she said, sleepily. He made sure to step lightly as he carried her out of his study and back upstairs. It was easy for him to locate the guest room that the pups were all sharing. He quietly entered, finding Trevor and Alice cuddled together under the blankets on the bed. Alice was nuzzling her stuffed bunny, while Trevor hugged a small throw pillow. Lily was already fast asleep, so Dorian was extra gentle and quiet as he lowered her onto the bed, tucking her in. He smiled before stealthily exited the room. He stopped in his tracks to see his smirking mate standing just outside the door.

"Well, it looks like ya warmed up to her after all," she said, very lightly.

"Of course," Dorian said as they walked back to the master bedroom together, "she's my grandpup after all."

Audrey's response was to lean in close and cuddle her mate.

 **And there you are, folks! Please feel free to leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello there, dear readers! I am so happy to bring to you chapter 10 of** _ **Found**_ **! Due to the local monsoon season, writing has been kinda slow-going for me. Partially because stormy weather makes me nervous and thus saps my writing motivation, and partially because when it is stormy, and partially due to the chance of a power outage. However, the monsoons are winding down, and my motivation is returning! This chapter was proofread by the adorably amazing** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **!**

Found (Chapter 10)

by

Elite Shade

"So you're both stayin' fer two whole weeks?" Vernon asked Honey, who was sitting at the end of the table, a steaming mug of coffee between her paws. Dawn was standing on a stool right there in the kitchen, assisting Audrey with the morning breakfast, which was really just a thinly veiled excuse for the two to gossip conspiratorially.

"That's right. We're almost done setting up the rest of the surveillance equipment, and then we're going to catch, on camera, in high-def, _catsquatch_... or some teenagers out messing around." Honey shrugged with a smile before taking a sip. Vernon scratched the back of his head, still unsure of just what to make of his brother's mate.

 _I guess there really is someone out there fer everybody_ , Vernon thought before taking a sip himself. Just as he opened his mouth to ask for further info on just what it is that the two were planning on doing out in the woods, he noticed a certain black pup and lamb wander in, Alice with bed-fur and Trevor with bed-floof. He chuckled as they mumbled their morning greetings and looked at the doorway, waiting for their sister to follow behind, amazed at how chipper she always was in the mornings, a stark contrast to her brother and sister. After a few minutes of waiting, and still no Lily, Vernon frowned.

"Is your sister sleepin' in?" he asked his pups, who simultaneously shook their heads.

"Uncle Ulric wanted to play with Lily," Alice said, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

Trevor nodded, both his and Alice's eyes going wide at the sight of the stacks of pancakes Audrey set before them. This was just before Vernon and Dawn shared a look, and the large wolf excused himself from the table.

"Oh, Ully," Vernon heard his mother say under her breath, following behind Vernon while Dawn and Honey stayed with the pups. They didn't have to travel far to find Lily and Ulric.

"Morning Daddy! Morning Grandma!" Lily said from where she was laying on the floor, several pieces of paper spread before her, as she was drawing a picture on one with her bare paw covered in something black.

"Mornin', Darlin'," Vernon said, giving Lily a quick once-over before looking at his brother, who was already looking guilty.

"Look, Daddy! Uncle Ully is paw painting with me!" Lily happily declared. Vernon spotted a bottle of ink which Vernon easily recognized as the type used for taking paw/hoof prints.

"N-no, Lucy," Ulric said, "I need just one single paw-print, that's really clear."

"It's Lily, Uncle Ully," Lily said with a giggle, planting her paw down on a fresh piece of paper.

"That's real nice, sweetpea," Audrey said, already focusing a partial glare at Ulric, making him cringe in fear, "now let's go show your mommy and brother and sister."

"'Kay!" Lily said, allowing herself to be scooped up in her grandma Audrey's arms, the older she-wolf gathering up all of the papers with ink on them. Vernon waited until they were out of the room.

"Ulric, what by the gods do you think yer doin'?" Vernon asked with a growl.

"I w-was j-just p-p-playin' with, uhm, m-my niece, Vern," Ulric said with a gulp and a sheepish smile, as he tried to hide the ink behind his back.

"So ya weren't tryin' to collect some paw-print samples to maybe run some tests on then?" Vernon crossed his arms and glared at Ulric, who started to wither a bit.

"W-w-well... I m-mean, I was p-planning to... uhm... hang it on my f-fridge once I was done analyzing it..." Vernon narrowed his eyes.

Back in the kitchen, Lily was showing off her "paw-paint" drawings.

"Well, those are pretty, sweetheart," Dawn cooed, giving her youngest lamb a hug, hearing a few sharp yelps and thuds coming from where she presumed Her and Honey's mates were. After Alice, per Dawn's prompting, washed her hands and sat down at the table to her own stack, Ulric, pushed forward by Vernon, entered the kitchen.

"Hey kids," Vernon said, immediately dropping his serious expression and wagging his tail as he regarded his pups, "yer Uncle Ully and I thought it over, and decided that some paw-paintings sound like a good idea. And of course, we'll be taking _all_ of 'em home with us when we're done."

"B-but!" Ulric was cut off by another look and instead meekly nodded his head. Alice and Trevor, now much more awake, both seemed a little excited at the idea. They made quick work of their breakfast, putting and rinsing their plates and forks in the sink, and then followed Vernon out into the living room, where there was already a tarp spread out for them.

"Do I even want to know?" Dawn whispered to her mother-in-law, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Just Ully bein' Ully, hon," she said, giving Dawn a quick hug. "let's just be thankful he ain't runnin' around the town rippin' his clothes off... again." Dawn and Honey both giggled at that. They entered the living room to see the lambs already at it, using the ink to make different pictures. Dawn spotted the Ulric standing in a corner, looking sullen. Lily saw this and frowned, before getting and idea. She whispered to her brother and sister, whom both nodded. Taking a clean piece of paper, they all three left a paw/hoof print on it. Lily then turned to Dawn and Vern.

"Mommy? Daddy? Will you put your prints above ours?" Lily looked up at them with her big blue eyes.

"Of course, sweetie," Dawn said, not hesitating to spread some ink on her hoof and firmly pressing it to the paper. Vernon chuckled as he followed suit, pressing his inky paw-pad down.

"There ya go, Darlin'," he said affectionately, rubbing her head fur with his clean paw.

"Thanks!" she said, picking the paper up with her own clean paw and walking over to Ulric.

"Uhm... Uncle Ully?" Lily asked, nervously. Ulric turned away from the corner, just as Honey sidled up to him to watch the event unfold, and looked down at his niece. She held the paper up to him, which he took and looked at it confused for a moment. "You seemed sad that you didn't get the picture you asked for earlier, so here you go! Not only does it have my paw on it, but also Allie and Trevor's and Mommy and Daddy's!" Lily beamed up at the wolf before her.

Vernon cleared his throat, getting his brother's attention. "What do we say, Ulric?"

"Uhm... th-thank you... uh... Lily," Ulric said.

"Good boy," Honey added with her own chuckle.

"Awww, don't I get a picture?" Audrey asked in mock disappointment, only to be surprised by a tugging at her jans. She looked down to see Trevor holding up a picture, looking shy.

"I-I made you one, Gramma," he said. Audrey, her tail now wagging, took the picture and smiled wide.

"Well, this is goin' right on the fridge." She then started to herd the children, having used up the last of the paper, to go wash their paws while she planned to hang up the picture.

Ulric's tail was wagging as he looked at his own picture. "We can analyze this and find out-" He was cut off by Vernon, once more with his arms crossed and looking at his brother.

"Ully, Lily ain't some specimen fer you, or anyone fer that matter, to examine," Vernon said with a slight growl to his voice. Ulric, wide eyed and frightened, nodded his head while Honey gave a thumbs up afer putting an arm around her mate's shoulders and leading him down the hall.

"You know he's just going to analyze the paw print anyways," Dawn said, standing next to her own mate and looking up at him. Vernon sighed and looked down at the ewe with a smile.

"Yeah, I know, Honey Lamb."

"You know, any information he does manage to uncover could be useful, though," Dawn ventured. Venon rubbed his chin as he mulled that over.

"True, Lamb Chop, and Ully ain't one to keep somethin' to himself when he at least thinks he's solved a mystery," Vernon said, pulling his paw away to reveal an ink goatee on his chin fur. Dawn saw this and clapped both paws to her muzzle in an attempt to keep from giggling. Vernon looked at her puzzled.

"What's so funny, Honey Lamb?"

"Oh, nothing," the ewe said, pulling her hooves away to reveal a slight in mustache on her muzzle. Vernon smirked but chose to say nothing, still having yet to get his mate back for a prank or two that she had pulled. They made their way into the kitchen, to be met with peals of laughter. The day continued on, with Audrey excitedly getting to spend some more time doting on her grandpups as they headed into town for some sightseeing. While this was happening, Ulric and Honey were hiking back out into the woods, setting up the finishing touches on their surveillance equipment. The day out did have to be cut short, however, due to a storm starting to rumble in in the late afternoon. They returned back to the ranch to find Dorian checking to make sure that the backup generators were set up and ready in the event of a power outage. It was as Audrey, Vernon, and Dawn were all in the kitchen working on a special dinner, as Dorian was regaling his grandpups with funny stories from his many years as the sheriff.

"So, we start watchin' the security camera footage right there in the interrogation room. The entire time, this polar bear trucker is sitting there, tryin' ta deny that it's him on the video. Which is high-definition, complete with audio. At one point he even, while facin' the camera he somehow still hasn't noticed, answers his phone and says his own name, a few times since he seemed to have a bad connection. Each time, louder and slower." The kids all laugh along with their grandpa, just before a car pulls up. Practically bursting through the door, Zach come bounding in.

"Hey kids! Uncle Zach's back!" he said, his tail a blur of excitement, before he started to play-wrestle with the three. Vanna entered shortly behind her mate, rolling her eyes but smiling down at her Goofball. She froze a little when she noticed that, while Trevor was giggling having "pinned" his uncle as Alice prepared herself for a pounce, Lily had walked over to her.

"Hi, Auntie Vanna!" the little mystery mammal said, reaching up for a hug. Vanna complied, still looking a little unsure as she did it, handling Lily as though she were made of glass. She acted similarly the remainder of the evening leading up to dinner. The meal was a happy occasion, with Ulric and Honey joining in. However, Dawn noticed the tigress kept glancing nervously at the children. It wasn't until, after Ulric frantically announced that they were off to _uncover the truth_ and he and Honey made their way to wherever they were set up in the woods, that Dorian agreed to watch the kids down the hall that the adults discussed the change in Vanna's behavior.

"Is something wrong, Vanna?" Dawn asked from where she was sitting, leaning up against Vernon's side, on the couch.

"N-no... everything's fine..." Vanna said, looking away. She and Zach were sharing a love seat, the wolf dwarfed by his mate. Zack took her much large paw in his and gave it a squeeze.

"We were just talkin' about becomin' parents is all. My Kitten is just a little nervous about it is all," Zach said, eliciting a deeper blush from the tigress.

"GOOFBALL!" Vanna said.

"Aww," Audrey said from the recliner, smiling at her daughter-in-law, "Y'all got nothin' to be nervous about, honey. Yer gunna both be wonderful parents."

"M-maybe..." Vanna said, sounding unsure.

"We've been discussin' adoption, but also tryin' naturally," Zach added.

"Zach, e-even if it's possible, I told you about how dangerous my mother was when she was p-pregnant with me! You could get seriously hurt if I smashed a chair over your head!"

"Kitten, I'm a lot tougher than I look," Zach said, puffing out his chest. Vanna _chuffed_ with a small smile forming at the corners of her muzzle. "Besides, we can always adopt like Vern and Dawn."

The ewe and her mate both nodded at that. "It was a bit of a hassle," Vernon said, "but it was worth it."

"Maybe... b-but... I'm worried that I'll just be too scary for any cubs..."

"Aw, Ma could be outright terifyin' growin' up, but she was still a wonderful mom," Vernon said.

"What's that supposed to mean, Puppy?" Audrey asked, standing up with her paws on her hips. Vernon instantly looked anxious.

"W-well... aside from yer _Glare_ , ya punched out that giraffe teacher."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "That's just what a mother does when her pups are insulted by some bigoted teacher."

"Still, Ma," Vernon said, only to have Audrey wave a dismissive paw.

"See, Kitten?" Zach added, nudging the tigress. "Ya can be scary if you want, but you can also be a big 'ol cuddly softee. You'll make a great mom!"

"M-maybe..." Vanna said, "m-maybe we can find a little cub or pup who could use a good home."

Zach's tail started thumping against the love seat and her. "Absolutely! Or they could even be some other species."

Vanna shook her head at that. "Oh n-no, th-that wouldn't work."

"Whaddya mean?" Vernon asked with a frown. "Sure, me and my Lamb Chop we primarily lookin' to adopt sheep or wolves, but we gladly took Lily as well."

"But... you don't even know what she is!" Vanna said, looking nervous as she stood up. "No one does. At least with her brother and sister, you both can relate to them and help guide them as they get older. But Lily? You don't know anything about her history, her species' culture, or anything that would be normal for her species' health as she grows up!"

"Maybe not," Dawn said hotly, "but she's still our daughter, and we're still researching everything we can about her!"

Vanna winced. "I-I just mean, that it's hard enough to connect w-with an adopted pup of the same species..." Vanna trailed off, shuffling her feet. "Lily's adorable, and I'm sure that she's as happy as can be now that you're her mom and dad... but neither one of you is... scary..."

Dawn and Vernon both relaxed at that.

"Vanna," Dawn started as she hopped down and walked over to give the tigress' leg a hug, "when I first met you, yes, I was nervous. But once I got to know you, I saw what Zach and everyone who knows you sees. A sweet, fun, and caring mammal."

Vanna smiled and bent down to return the ewe's hug. "I'm sorry if I made it sound like I had a problem with Lily... th-that wasn't what I was tryin' to say..."

"I know," Dawn said, releasing her leg. "Maybe it would help you get over your nervousness to spend some more time with your nieces and nephew?"

"Maybe..." Vanna said, still looking a little edgy. It was then that Dorian entered, scratching his head.

"Did someone just come in from outside?" the older white law wolf asked, "'cause the back door was wide open." There was a crinkle, and he looked down to see that he had stepped on a piece of paper. Picking it up, he recognized it immediately.

"What is it, Pa?" Zach asked his puzzled father.

"It's the picture that Lily drew for her Auntie Vanna. She wanted to surprise her with it, but why is it just lyin' here?" Dorian asked, noticing the sudden silence in the room.

"Y-you d-don't think that she... h-heard me?" Vanna asked, visibly upset.

"Lily?" Dawn called, heading down the hall, repeatedly calling her name. The others started to check the house, with Audrey filling her mate in on what happened.

Zach came back in from outside. "I saw some fresh footprints, she musta run out the back door. They lead into the woods." Vanna paled beneath her fur and, without thinking, she bolted. Out the back door she practically flew, following the footprints. She had just made it under the canopy of trees when there was the first crack of thunder. Like a switch being flipped, the rain started, coming down in big fat cold drops.

"LILY!" Vanna called, her voice almost a frantic roar as she looked around. The footprints already starting to become obscured in the downpour. Her ears could faintly pick up the voices of the others much further behind her, calling out for Lily as well. Vanna sniffed, trying to track Lily's scent, but the rain and the winds was making it hard. She followed it the best she could, but soon lost the trail.

Then her ears perked when she heard a sniffle coming from a nearby log. Examining it, she found that it was hollow, and that the sounds of sniffling were coming from inside.

"Lily?" Vanna asked, grateful to have night vision. Sure enough, there the little mystery mammal was, curled up and hugging her knees, crying. "Lily! I am so sorry!" Vanna said, kneeling at the entrance of the little mammal's hiding place.

"I-it's okay, Auntie... I mean, Miss Vanna," Lily said, straining to keep her voice even despite Vanna clearly seeing that she was struggling to keep from crying, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "I-I'll be fine. I-I'll j-just g-go away, and then Alice and Trevor and... th-the Hunters c-can be happy"

"Sweetie," Vanna said, "Your family can't be happy if you just go away. I swear I didn't mean whatever it was that you heard!"

"B-but... i-it wasn't the first time... I h-heard th-that..."

"What do you mean?" Vanna asked.

"Back before we were adopted, there was another couple who was interested in us. They were Mr. and Mrs. Woolstein. He was a ram and she was a wolf. At first, they said that they'd love to take all three of us, and Trevor and Alice and me were all excited about getting to be adopted and getting to stay together. But then, Mr. Woolstein asked to talk to me alone... and he asked me i-if I really cared about my brother and sister, and if I wanted them to be happy."

Vanna listened, paying no heed to the rain running down her drenched fur, the pit in her stomach reforming as she listened.

"I said yes," Lily said, letting out a big sniff, "and he then told me that that was good. And then told me that they would be happier if they were adopted... without me. He told me how, because I wasn't a wolf or a sheep, and how nobody knew what I was, that it would be really hard for all three of us to find a home. But he told me that if I really cared about them, then I would let them have a home... by agreeing to not go with them."

Vanna felt her heart break as she listened, along with a flash of anger that an adult would ever say something to a child, especially one as vulnerable as Lily, before the fire was quenched by a tidal wave of guilt as she then remembered what Lily must have overheard herself say. The tigress mentally kicked herself as she continued to listen.

"Before I could say anything to him, Trevor ran in, having heard what he had said, and told him that I was his baby sister, and then Alice ran in and said that unless we were all going to be adopted, that we weren't interested. So, the Woolsteins left, and Trevor and Aliie didn't get a home or a family... because of me."

Realization of the weight that her youngest niece carried with her almost shattered the tigress' heart.

"But, Lily, all three of you got a family now. A big one! And, your mommy and daddy love all three of you so much!"

"B-but, y-you said that-"

"Sweetie, I only said that because I... I'm scared..." Vanna said, wringing her paws. She heard some shuffling coming from inside the log and looked to see Lily poking her head out, looking up at her in confusion.

"What are you scared of, Auntie Vanna?" Lily asked, prompting a slight smile from her aunt.

"I-I'm scared about... becoming a mommy. I'm scared that I'm not going to be any good at it, and I'm scared that I'm too... scary... for any cubs to... love..."

"..." Lily said nothing as she crawled all the way out of the log and stood up. Not seeming to mind the rain, she reached up and hugged the tigress, who quickly hugged her back. "You're not scary at all, Auntie Vanna. You're gunna make a great mommy."

Vanna let out a chuff as she stood up, Lily still in her arms, and started to make her way back towards the ranch, hearing the frantic voices calling for Lily getting closer.

"I found her!" she called out, making her way through the foliage.

"LILY!" Dawn cried as she and Vernon rushed over. The wolf wordlessly took his pup into his arms and carried her inside.

"Don't you ever run off like that again, young lady," he said in a serious voice. Lily looked up at him and nodded, not used to seeing the serious side to her father. Vanna looked down at Dawn to apologize, but was surprised to find her leg being hugged again by the ewe.

"Thank you, Vanna, for finding my baby," Dawn said, removing her glasses to wipe at her eyes, her wool already drenched by the deluge.

"What's that ya got there, sweetheart?" Audrey asked as she was at the ready with some towels for everyone, taking it upon herself to start drying her grandpup. She noticed something clutched in her paws that Lily was holding close to her chest. Lily opened her paws to reveal a light blue egg in her paws, the size of her fist.

"I found it by the creek... I thought that since I was gunna be alone, and she was gunna be alone, that we could be alone together."

Vernon frowned, and not just at the part of Lily being alone.

"Can we keep her, daddy?" Lily asked, looking up at him, with her wide eyes. A part of him, terrified at the possibility that what she was holding was the largest raven egg he had ever seen, was drowned out by the part of him that was handily won over by Lily's wide and innocent eyes.

"W-well... we'll just have to ask yer mother..." he said, wincing internally about how unamused his mate was likely to be at him passing the buck on this. That was before Alice and Trevor rushed from around the corner to tackle-hug Lily, who managed to keep the egg safe.

 _Please don't be a raven. By Oldwyn, PLEASE DON'T BE A RAVEN!_ He thought to himself.

Dawn and Vanna, after talking a little bit more, headed inside, while Zach had to be found by Dorian after getting turned around in the woods, claiming to have heard someone moving in the bushes.

"Probably yer brother and his mate rootin' around fer evidence of catsquach," Dorian said. Unaware that a set of eyes was looking out from some shrubbery at them as they headed back to the ranch. A set of eyes not belonging either to Ulric or Honey.

Unbeknownst to all, further up the nearby creek was a truck with a fat tire. On the side was the name _Pete's Pets and Supplies_. Outside was a moose, on the phone, gesticulating wildly.

"I'm still waiting on septuple B, Pete." The moose listened for a few moments before rolling his eyes. "Yes I checked on the cargo, and I recounted. And yes, we are one egg short than what's on the manifest. So I'm thinking someone miscounted somewhere."

He listened some more to the mammal on the other line, before sighing. "Fine! I'll check again. But I'm telling you, we only have twenty-seven Prench komodo dragon eggs! Not twenty-eight!"

 **Phew! And there you have it, dear readers! I FINALLY managed to push through my near debilitating case or writer's block! It was some seriously slow going, with the aforementioned storms and power outages not helping! I certainly hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, and I also hope that you'll take the time to leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey there, readers! I'm so happy to be bringing to you chapter 11 of** _ **Found**_ **! It sure has been a while. In addition to some real life drama and getting sick, I just haven't had much motivation to write lately. But I'm back at it! Yay! I would like to take this moment to thank** _ **WastedTimeEE**_ **not only for allowing me to use his amazing characters and version of Zootopia but also for answering my many questions I have about said characters and AU! I would also like to thank, once more, the wonderful** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **for being such a great proofreader!**

Found (Chapter 11)

by

Elite Shade

"Daddy?" Lily asked with a yawn as Vernon, who had been carrying her, laid her down in her bed, pulling her blankets up to tuck her in.

"Yes, Darlin'?" Vernon asked, looking down at his pup, his heart still filled with joy at being called Daddy.

"Will we get to visit Gramma and Grampa up at the ranch again soon?" Lily asked, looking up at him with her deep blue eyes. The visit to the ranch had ended with another set of hugs from Grandpa, Uncle Zach, and Auntie Vanna, and another big hug/carry from Grandma, who had been quite reluctant to let her three grandpups go. It had only been when Vernon and Dorian had assured her that they would all be up to visit again soon that the older she-wolf finally relinquished her grandpups, giving each one one more squeeze.

Vernon chuckled both at the fresh memory and at the innocent question.

"We sure will. Or else yer Grammy will come down here herself and drag all of us back up to the ranch herself." He smiled at the giggle that this elicited before spying another yawn. "Feel up to another bedtime story, sweetie?"

Lily nodded and curled up on her side, facing the chair Vernon and Dawn alternated sitting in to read from the storybooks they had gotten for their pups. Vernon figured that Dawn was in Trevor's room, already reading to him, or maybe even Allie's room, offering to read her a story as well, with the hope that the little she-wolf would agree. Vernon took a seat and grabbed the current book from the nightstand, _The Bunnit_ , by J. R. R. Mrowlkien.

"Daddy?" Lily asked as Vernon was opening to the page they had left off.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Are you sure that the egg is okay? She won't get too cold?" Lily asked, making Vernon's ears lay flat on his head. Lily had kept the egg she had found close for warmth the entire trip back home. Once home, Dawn had gone out and purchased an egg incubator, which Lily and Allie, the latter of whom had tried to act as though she didn't enjoy it, had decorated it with frilly pink ribbons and bows under Vernon's nervous supervision.

"U-uh, yup," Vernon said, gulping before continuing, "th-the egg's all cozy and warm." The wolf felt torn. On the one paw, seeing how Lily's face brightened up at the possibility of getting a bird melted his heart every single time. On the other, he was nervous that what would hatch would be a raven. The one species of bird that utterly terrified him.

"I can't wait to finally meet Princess Callibrie," Lily said with another yawn.

"Uh... y-yeah, w-we're all lookin' forward to meetin' her when she hatches," Vernon said, before continuing on with the story. He had just finished the part where the three ogres turned to stone when he heard Lily's soft breathing. Putting the bookmark back in, he leaned down to give his youngest daughter a gentle kiss on her forehead before he turned off her bedside light and quietly made his way out of her room. He silently shut her door behind him when he saw his mate doing the same, coming out of Trevor's room. They carefully made their way downstairs, both drifting towards the kitchen, where on the counter, on prominent display, was the large light-blue egg, sitting in the incubator.

"I didn't think Lily'd want to leave the egg's side at all tonight," Vernon said with a chuckle, only a mild nervous tenor mixed in.

"I know," Dawn said, shuffling her hoofs before hopping up onto the stool Lily had been sitting on earlier. She too was nervous around ravens, mainly due to the long history she had with them constantly trying to make nests in her head poof.

"I _really_ hope that this here bird ain't no raven," Vernon said, looking down at the blue egg.

"Well... there's no guarantee that that's what it's going to be, Puppy," Dawn said optimistically.

"True... why, there's lots of eggs from different species of birds that're this color... and maybe this size!" Vernon said, perking right up, and shoving any thoughts of ravens to the back of his mind.

"Absolutely, Puppy Love," Dawn said with a giggle, seeing Vernon return back to his usual upbeat self. She then looked down at the egg and smiled, a thought suddenly striking her. "You know, it might not even be a bird at all. It could be a reptile egg."

"Hey, so long as it ain't a raven, I'll be happy," Vernon said, his tail wagging. Then she noticed her mate stop his wagging, his ears twitching, and turn his head towards the stairs. There stood Trevor, in his AMSS pajamas, slowly making his way down.

"Hey, buddy," Vernon said, walking up to the little black lamb and scooping him up into his arms, "I thought Mommy put you to bed." Vernon comically narrowed his eyes at Dawn, making the lamb in his arms chuckle.

"She did, Daddy," Trevor said, looking unsure about something, "but..."

"But what, bud?" Vernon asked his son.

"Uhm... I th-thought... that maybe th-there might be a... m-monster under the bed..." Trevor said before nervously hiding his face behind his hooves. Vernon and Dawn shared a knowing smile while the wolf rubbed his son's back while still holding him.

"Aw, well then, how about we go up and check together?" Vernon offered.

"Okay!" Trevor said, instantly feeling much less nervous. Vernon started to carry Trevor back up the stairs, with Dawn falling in step beside him, and back into his room, where they found Alice standing, hugging her stuffed bunny, Princess Floppington.

"Alice?" Dawn asked, startling the black pup who let out a yip and literally jumped. Alice whirled around and spotted the three, swiftly using one arm to hide her stuffed bunny behind her back.

"I-I... uh... I w-was checking up on Trevor," she said, her ears laying flat and her tail tucking itself between her legs, as though she had been caught doing something wrong. Dawn was struck by how she seemed just like Vernon when he got caught doing something he shouldn't, and she had to stifle a giggle.

 _Like father, like daughter,_ she thought to herself.

"Well, what a good big sister you are," Dawn said, stepping forward to ruffle her eldest daughter's headfur. Alice tried to maintain her serious composure, but her wagging tail was a dead giveaway.

"We were just about to check to make sure that there weren't no monsters under Trevor's bed. Maybe you'd like to help?" Vernon offered, setting Trevor down and patting his head poof.

"Uhm... okay," Alice said, once more finding her paw in Dawn's hoof as the ewe led her to one side of the bed, while Vernon and Trevor took up position on the other side.

"Okay, on the count of three," Vernon said, "One... two... three!" And he dropped to the ground, briskly followed by Dawn, Alice, and then Trevor. The latter two were both trying not to snicker out loud, and only being mildly successful.

"Hmm..." Vernon said as he looked around under the bed. "Well, I don't see any monsters down here. What d'you think, Honey Lamb?"

Dawn rubbed her chin as she squinted and looked around. "I have to agree with you, Puppy, this area is completely devoid of any monsters. What do you think, kids?"

Trevor started to look nervous again before both seeing for himself that there wasn't anything other than the blue carpet of his room under his bed and smiling. "Nope. No monsters!" The black lamb said excitedly.

Alice looked around a little bit, even sniffing the area for anything other than what she expected to smell under the bed, and came up empty. "Yup, nothing's here," Alice said with a big yawn.

"And with that, I think our little search party is done fer the night, and that two of our members need to get some shuteye," Vernon said with a rumbling chuckle as he stood up, scooping Trevor into his arms again and setting him back down on his bed.

"And let's get you back to bed as well, Allie," Dawn said, holding out her hoof. Alice started to shuffle her paws again as she looked conflicted about taking Dawn's hoof.

"Something the matter, Sweetheart?" Dawn asked.

"Uh... m-maybe it would be best for me to sleep here tonight... y'know, to be Trevor's watchdog, just in case..." Dawn smiled and looked to Vernon, whose tail was slowly wagging as he smiled back.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Allie," Dawn said, turning to Trevor, "so long as your brother doesn't mind."

"I don't mind, Mommy!" Trevor said from where he was laying. With that, Dawn pulled back the blankets and helped Alice in to the bed next to her brother. Alice tried to roll her eyes, but Dawn saw how relieved she actually was. And she and Vernon both noticed the small smile that their eldest child tried to hide when they tucked the two of them in.

"And maybe the two of you wouldn't mind another bedtime story," Vernon offered as Dawn nodded, hopping up onto the stool next to the bed and grabbing one of the books from the nearby shelves. Despite their earlier excitement, it didn't take more than a couple of pages in before Trevor and Alice curled up together, Alice hugging Princess Floppington close to herself, and were fast asleep. Dawn and Vernon both softly kissed their foreheads before heading back out, turning out the light, and mutually deciding to head to their own room.

 _Meanwhile, Back in the North Meadowlands..._

"HONEY!" Ulric nearly yelped in excitement as he jumped where he sat in their tent. He was looking down at the tablet in his paws, his tail thumping against the ground.

"What happening?" the badger asked as she poked her head in through the open flap. She winced and lifted her infrared goggles to regard her mate.

"LOOK!" Ulric said, taking a second to tap away at the tablet's screen. He then passed it to Honey, who hit play. It was video footage from the network of cameras that they had set up, the numbers in the top right corner of the screen indicating that it came from the group in the northern quadrant. The video started to play, and for a few seconds, there was nothing but footage of the woods. Then she saw it. A figure ran across the screen. Honey paused and brought the images back, slowly. She couldn't make out very much detail of who or what had run across the camera, as they seemed to be wrapped in a large dark coat, but still, it had piqued her curiosity.

"It looks like a mammal in a coat, Ully, but what they're doing way out here running around at night, that's pretty suspicious," Honey said, much to Ulric's apparent joy.

"Clearly we've flushed out catsquatch, and so they put on a disguise to throw us off their trail!" Honey shook her head a little.

"Ully, why would a catsquatch wear a coat? Also, catsquatches are around seven to nine feet in height. I set up those cameras myself, and whoever that is, they're around five feet."

"Well... maybe it's a juvenile one that got lost from their super advanced hidden underground city! OH! Or maybe it can shape-shift!"

"Or maybe it's just a homeless mammal who got lost in the woods..." Honey responded, keeping a level head.

"That's just what they **want** us to think!" Ulric's response involved him pointing straight down.

"Like I said, it's pretty suspicious," said Honey, "but let's see if we can't find out more about this individual before we start jumping to conclusions."

Ulric sighed but nodded, eagerly taking back the tablet and tapping away near frantically. "Let's see if we can't track it with the drone!"

A few more taps and, just outside their tent/command-center, and camouflage-painted square drone winked on with a red light. Its four propellers started spinning, and soon afterwards, it lifted off.

"Ully, remember how expensive the drone is, and try not to fly it into a tree again," Honey cautioned.

"I only did that twice, Honey," Ulric said as he remotely guided the drone with the tablet, flying it towards the location where the camera had caught the hidden mammal.

 _Back at Dawn and Vernon's House, One Restful Night Later..._

Dawn inhaled her mate's scent as she cuddled up close to his neck, feeling safe and secure in his arms that held her closely. Visiting her in-laws was always a pleasant experience, but Dawn was definitely happy to be back in her and Vernon's own bed. Deciding to relax a bit more before attempting to wake her Puppy Love, Dawn snuggled in deeper to his ruff. And then the bedroom door flew open.

"MOMMY! DADDY! IT'S HAPPENING!" The pair sat bolt upright, Dawn still in Vernon's arms. Vernon looked confused as to what was happening, and looked about sleepily.

"What's happening, Lily?" Dawn asked as she tried to extricate herself from her mate's arms.

"The egg's hatching!" Lily said, running up to the side of their bed and jumping up and down. She was wearing her pink OMO pj's, her brown headmane waving back and forth as she jumped. The mention of the egg hatching brought Vernon out of his sleepy confusion and back to reality.

"O-oh... a-are you sure, Princess?" he asked, setting Dawn down.

"Uh-huh!" was Lily's giddy response. "I got up early to watch the egg, and it started moving! And then it cracked a little! C'mon! Hurry! Princess Callibrie's almost here!" Lily said, grabbing ahold of Vernon's paw and tugging in an attempt to get him up and out of bed. Vernon grimaced, yet tried to make it into a smile, and got up, Lily letting go and bolting out the bedroom door, down the hall, and down the stairs.

"It's gunna be a raven, Lamb Chop, I just know it," Vernon said, his tail already tucked.

"Try to stick to the positives, Puppy," Dawn said, stretching a little as she hopped out of bed, adjusting her nightgown.

"I know, Honey Lamb, but I can feel it in my bones. It's a raven. And it's gunna be the biggest raven in the world to boot!" Vernon whimpered a little as he followed the diminutive ewe out into the hall, noticing that Trevor's bedroom door was already opened, suggesting that all three of their children were down in the kitchen.

"Vernon, we don't know that at all," Dawn said, feeling a sense of dread. They too quickly made their way downstairs to find all three of their lambs up on stools at the kitchen counter, staring intently at the egg in the incubator. As the couple approached, they noticed that the egg was indeed rocking back and forth, and that there were now a few cracks on it. There was a crunch, and the cracks got wider.

Vernon frowned as he leaned in closer. Dawn scooted another stool nearby and climbed on top of it, looking down at the egg. There was something moving that she could see in the openings. After a few more moments, the egg split open, and there was a collective gasp at what was now before them all. In the very center of the remains of the egg was a small, bright green lizard with black stripes going down its back. First came a sigh of relief from Dawn and Vern, and then there was a collective "Awwww" when the small reptile let out a chirp.

Lily held out her paw, and the lizard climbed right up in and sat there. It was just barely big enough to sit in the center of Lily's paw. The little lizard looked up at them all with its yellow eyes and let out another chirp.

"Hi, Princess Callibrie," Lily said, her face bright enough to light the entire room. Dawn and Vernon had both been wondering where she had gotten the name from, but so far hadn't found anything to explain why their youngest chose to name their new pet that.

"Well, she's just a little cutie," Dawn said as she leaned in closer to get a better look at the baby reptile, who looked up at her and blinked, chirping again.

"I'll say," Vernon said, a wide grin on his muzzle. He was practically beaming, no doubt due to the new family pet not being a dreaded raven. They were then surprised when the lizard reared up while still facing Dawn, and then hopped onto her face. The ewe was startled as the lizard scrambled up her face, and burrowed into her head poof. Dawn could feel the lizard curl up before it let out another chirp.

Vernon choked back a snort of amusement, while their lambs all giggled at the display.

"I think she likes your wool, Mommy," Trevor suggested, while Dawn rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. While she had had bad experiences in the past with ravens attempting to nest in her head poof, the adorable little lizard she considered to be a special exception.

 **And there you have it folks! I've been wanting to introduce Princess Callibrie for a while now! Fun fact: in** _ **WastedTimeEE's**_ **AU, birds and reptiles have all been pretty much domesticated, with avians taking up mostly the roles of dogs, whereas reptile mostly take up the roles of cats. I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, and please feel free to leave a review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi there again, readers! I'm not entirely sure why, but the writing bug has yet to leave me, at least for this story. So I am still very excited to bring to you another chapter of** _ **Found**_ **! I would like to give a special shoutout to** _ **WastedTimeEE**_ **not only for giving me permission to write this story in their AU and use their characters, but also for answering my many many questions. And of course, I'd like to thank the wonderful** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **, for their proofreading! Without any further ado, here's chapter 12 of** _ **Found**_ **!**

Found (Chapter 12)

by

Elite Shade

"Yay!" Lily cheered as she hurried down the stairs, carrying Princess Callibrie in her paws. The little lizard chirped, seeming as excited as the mystery mammal.

"Woah," Vernon said at the foot of the stairs, quickly scooping up his youngest pup into his arms. "Careful there, Darlin'," he said to Lily, "runnin' down the stairs like that is a great way to fall and bump yer head."

"Oh, sorry, Daddy!" Lily said, bouncing herself in the large wolf's arms. "I'm just so excited that we're really gunna go see the OMO movie _Camaraderie is Enchantment_!"

Vernon silenced a groan he almost instinctively let out. Since a meeting between Dawn and her publisher had recently been bumped up, Vernon found himself to be the parent responsible for taking the girls to go see the new Our Mini Ostrich movie. Trevor, who hadn't been that enthusiastic to see it either, had come down with a cold. And since Dawn's meeting was going to be via webcam, that meant she could stay home with Trevor, and Trevor's ticket could go to Broomie, who, unlike Vernon, actually liked the series. So in the end, it all worked out perfectly... except for Vernon. Not that he minded getting to spend time with his pups. And seeing how excited Lily was, any dread quickly abated.

"I know, sweetpea, I know. But we got us plenty of time. Also, we can't go takin' yer little lizard into the theater with us."

"Awwww," Lily said in disappointment, "but Allie's bringing Princess Floppington with her!" Lily pointed to her older sister, who was sitting on the couch, her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Nu-uh!" the little black wolf pup said, defensively, shifting the backpack out of sight.

"Lily, Princess Callibrie's notta stuffed animal. She's a pet, and it's against the rules of the theater," Vernon gently explained. Lily looked guiltily down into her paws, where the lizard was looking back up at her with its yellow reptilian eyes.

"I'm sorry, Princess Callibrie," she said, before leaning down and kissing the lizard's forehead. Princess Callibrie chirped in response, just as Lily was hugged by her father, and set down. She saw Dawn coming down, having been up in Trevor's room checking on him, and walked up to her mother.

"Mommy, will you look after Princess Callibrie while I'm not home?" Lily asked, almost at eye level with the diminutive ewe.

"Of course, Lily," Dawn said, opening her hooves to accept the small reptile. Princess Callibrie chirped twice, before scampering up the now surprised Dawn's arms and once more climbing up to bury herself in the sheep's head floof. "I don't know why she likes it in there." As Dawn said this, she heard a snort and looked over to her mate who was trying not to laugh at the sight as the lizard poked her head out from the top to chirp again.

"That's never not gunna be funny, Darlin'," he said, his tail wagging.

Dawn rolled her eyes before smirking. "Oh, Puppy, you and the girls should get a move on. You don't want to be late for your movie." Vernon's tail slowed upon hearing that.

"YAAAAY!" Lily cheered, once again, running up and grabbing Vernon's paw, and started to tug him towards the door. Dawn and Vern both shared a chuckle at that and shared a quick kiss before Vernon picked both Lily and Alice up and carried them out the front door. Dawn sighed as she watched her mate out the window, loading first Alice, and then Lily, into their seats. It was at that moment that certain reptilian face appeared in her field of vision upside down. Princess Callibrie chirped twice.

"Let's get you some lunch, Princess Callibrie," Dawn said with a giggle, reaching up to pluck the reptile from her floof, and carry her into the kitchen where her feeding dish was located.

 _Meanwhile, Back in the Northern Meadowlands..._

"Okay, so it's definitely intelligent enough to successfully evade pursuit," Ulric said while scribbling notes down feverishly, in his notebook.

"Ully, you crashed the drone into a tree," Honey replied as she looked over the aforementioned drone, which she'd opened up, and worked on fixing a damaged propeller.

"Only because the creature tricked me! Maybe it even used telekinesis on the drone!" Ulric said.

"Ully, that's the third time you've crashed the drone today. I think that maybe from now on, I should be the one to pilot it," Honey said tenderly as she finished with the propeller, and began to reassemble the disassembled pieces.

"B-but I'm so close!"

"Ully, yes you were, but again, tree."

Ulric huffed and pouted before letting out a breath. "Fine... I can at least keep monitoring all the camera feeds! And also, we can't forget the map!" Ulric ran over to the assembled cork-board within their large command-center tent. Underneath the camouflaged canvas was a map tacked onto the board of the surrounding wooded area. On this map were several lines and X's, representing traced paths and campsites uncovered by their investigation.

"And that's another X for quadrant 3. Yes... there's a pattern here."

"Yeah, it seems to want to stay close to bodies of water, and I think it's foraging berries and nuts to eat, so we might be able to start ruling out areas for it to start migrating to," Honey chimed in, carrying the drone and setting it down on the charging station.

"Well, yes, but I was more referring to the pattern here on the map!" Ulric said, his excitement rising and his tail becoming a blur. The badger cocked her head to the side as she looked at the map.

"What d'you mean, Ully?"

"Can't you see it?" Ulric asked, before grabbing a blue marker, and started drawing lines connecting the X's. "See? It's an arrow!"

Honey looked on at the "arrow" which was a bit more curvy in order to incorporate all the X's. It was pointing to the southwest. "I guess that can be called an arrow... but I'm not sure what you're getting at..."

"Look where the arrow is pointing directly to! My old high school! Clearly, this creature is trying to learn as much about me as possible before it comes for me directly!"

"Uh... Ully, isn't your old high school more to the east? If you follow the direction your arrow is pointing, it's pointing to that old partially burnt-down barn..."

"You see how the arrow is curving? Clearly, it's intending to go in an easterly direction! Yup, it's definitely gunna be going to my old stomping grounds!"

"Or maybe it's going to try and make shelter in the old barn there..."

"... Maybe... maybe you're right! It must be getting ready to make a nest in the old barn, and THEN once its laid its eggs, it'll make its way to the high school! We need to call my Pa and get him to organize a district-wide evacuation!"

"..."

 _Back in Savannah Central..._

"I can't believe you just did that," Vernon said with a quiet growl to the slightly rotund ram standing next to him in the theater, who was busy balancing his medium-sized mammal large tub of popcorn and soda. Vernon made sure it was quiet enough for the girls to not hear.

"What?" Broomie asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"You told those parents that were were a couple!"

"I did not," Broomie said, laid back as usual for him, "I just didn't deny it."

Vernon clapped his paw to his face with his free paw and his other one was currently holding his own popcorn. "And why was that?"

"Because being a single adult mammal goin' to see one of these movies nets you a lot of stares. So when it became clear that they thought we were mates and that these are our adopted kids, I ran with it. And here I thought that you would be more accepting, Vern."

"Oh, don't y'all try that on me!"

Broomie simply shrugged at that. "Fine, I figured it was worth a try."

"I would imagine that you Birdiebros would be used to that kinda thing by now," Vernon said.

"Hey, I already told you that we're no longer calling ourselves that," Broomie said, looking mildly annoyed before smiling as he and Vern herded Alice and Lily, the former resolutely holding her little sister's paw to keep her from wandering off, through the door marked with a large neon 6.

After climbing the steps to the highest row of seats, Vernon held Lily and Alice's own snacks while they got settled into their seats together. Vernon noticed that, despite her claims she was only agreeing to see the movie to make Lily happy, Alice's tail was starting to wag quite a bit as she got settled in and looked out towards the screen. He then saw that her backpack was partly unzipped and one of the grey ears of her stuffed bunny was poking out. He chuckled as he took a seat on Alice's left, while Broomie took a seat on Lily's right. The seats slowly started to fill up as families trickled in. They didn't have to wait long for the previews to start.

 _Back at Home, Some Time Later..._

"So really, it's a fantasy/sci-fi epic saga, and not really a continuation of my and my family's biographical life," Dawn said to her publisher while sitting in the study, her laptop open on the desk before her, showing the face of a female jackal.

"Hmm," Nancy said, seeming to be thinking it over, "well, you wouldn't be the first author to break away from their debut genre... yes... I could make this work! Even though it's been a while, your controversial first book is still generating a LOT of hype. I'm sure we could play off of that to promote your new project!"

"O-oh, well, I'm glad that you like my idea!" Dawn said with a smile, feeling excited, especially since she had already written the first three chapters.

"That I do, Dawn, that I do. Now, I've got some calls to start making. And I'll send you an email asking about the book's progress!" With that, Nancy ended their call, and Dawn let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She closed the laptop, and exited the room. She headed upstairs to check on Trevor, who had been napping for quite a bit. She passed by Lily's open door, smiling at the tiny Princess Callibrie, whom she could see was asleep on her little bed, all curled up. Dawn carefully opened her son's door, not wanting to wake him up if he was still asleep. She was pleasantly surprised to find him sitting up in bed, reading.

"Hey there, sweetheart," Dawn said as she entered, prompting the small black ram to look up at his mother. While clearly not yet 100%, he was definitely looking better than he had been, at least he did to Dawn. "Feeling any better?"

"I think so, Mommy," Trevor said, before setting his book down and reaching over to the tissue box to blow his nose. He still sounded stuffy.

"That's good," Dawn said, taking a seat on the side of his bed and reaching over with a hoof to feel his forehead. "Hmm, well you're still pretty warm, but that's to be expected. Feel ready for something easy to eat? I can whip you up a batch of Forb Noodle Soup, just like your grandma used to make for me when I was a lamb."

"Okay, that sounds good, Mommy," Trevor said, quickly covering his muzzle with his paws as he coughed.

"Alright, it'll be coming right up," Dawn said, leaning forward to kiss Trevor on his forehead, not at all afraid of the potential risk of infection, before hopping down to make her little ram some soup. It was as she was nearing the bottom of the stairs that the front door opened. In ran Lily along with Alice, who seemed to remember herself, and tried to play it off being nonchalant. Vernon came in afterwards, closing the front door behind him.

"Well hi there, you three, how was the movie?"

"It was super fun, Mommy!" Lily said while giggling.

"Yeah, I guess it was okay, as far as movies go," Alice said, her tail once more betraying her true feelings.

"Well, I'm glad that you both had fun," Dawn said, smirking and looking up at her mate. "And I heard that you and Broomie made quite the cute couple," Dawn added, with her own giggle.

Vernon frowned, "Not helping, Honey Lamb. Also, how'd you hear about that?"

"Oh, Broomie updated his Muzzlebook page a little while ago," Dawn explained, giggling while Vernon rolled his eyes.

"'Course he did," Vernon muttered while Dawn and the girls all started to share a giggle, which of course made his own tail begin to wag.

"Anyway," Vernon said, walking up to stand next to his daughters, "I'm willin' to admit that it was better written that what I was expectin'."

"Daddy said that Feathershy was his favorite!" Lily said with glee.

"And there's the ice cream deal broken... you promised to keep that a secret," Vernon said, wagging a finger before he noticed a smirk once more on Dawn's muzzle.

"Feathershy, huh?" Dawn asked.

"She kinda reminded me of you, Lamb Chop," Vernon said, he and his mate sharing a chuckle, until he noticed a tugging on his pants leg. He looked down to see Lily looking up at him.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I forgot I promised to keep that a secret," she said, looking up at Vernon with wide, sad-like eyes. Much like her sister, Lily was an expert at utilizing the "puppy-eyes" look. After two seconds, Vernon let out a breath.

"Alright... alright... ice cream...But no toppin's," he said before being subjected to another two seconds of the puppy-eyes.

"... Alright... fine... two toppin's, and that's it," Vernon said, crossing his arms. Lily giggled and hugged his leg.

"Thank you Daddy!" Lily said, before she hurried up the stairs to go get Princess Callibrie and to check on her brother, Alice quickly following behind, still lugging her backpack.

"You are such a puppy," Dawn said, her hooves on her hips as she looked up at her mate.

"I dare y'all to look at them eyes and tell 'em no ice cream," was Vernon's reply to that prior to leaning down to share a kiss with his mate.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Lily called in a panic as she rushed downstairs, Alice right behind her, looking concerned yet trying to remain stoic, and Trevor too, still blowing his nose.

"What is it, sweetie?" Dawn asked, wondering what could be troubling her lambs.

"We can't find Princess Callibrie!" Lily said, now a little panicked. Just then, there was a chirp, before the reptile in question poked her head up from within Dawn's head floof.

"Now when did you get up there I wonder?" Dawn asked, getting a chirp in response, while Vernon clutched his sides as he started to howl with laughter, thankfully not with a literal howl. The kids of course joined in, along with Dawn herself.

 **And there you have it, readers! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, and are enjoying Thanksgiving, those of you that celebrate it. Please feel free to leave a review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello there, readers! I hope that you all had some happy holidays and a happy new year! I certainly am happy to bring to you the newest chapter of** _ **Found**_ **! Once more, this chapter was proofread by the wonderful, and cuddly,** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **! And of course, this story was inspired by the stories,** _ **The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether**_ **and the sequel,** _ **A Lamb Among Wolves**_ **! Both of these amazing stories were written by the awesome** _ **WastedTimeEE**_ **! Please feel free to leave a review!**

 **Just as a heads up, this is a chapter that does not feature any of the BellHunter "Flock". This was chapter was already longer than usual, and I just cannot add anymore to it. But don't worry, more cute family antics involving Dawn and Vern and their children will continue in the next chapter, along with... well, no spoilers! XD**

Found (Chapter 13)

by

Elite Shade

"I'm not usually one for I-told-you-so's, but in this case I think it's pretty much warranted," Honey said quietly as she and Ulric looked through the burnt-out barn, flashlights at the ready.

"Just because we don't see any egg sacs doesn't mean that they aren't here," Ulric said defensively. "They could be camouflaged or give off a pheromone that makes them invisible to mammalian eyes!"

"Ully, I'm looking at the live feed from my camera. There's no egg sacs," Honey said, listening to each creak and groan from the structure. Using a stick she found, she started poking around at a set of grimy assorted fabrics and faded blue tarp. "I think this is where they've been sleeping," Honey said aloud.

"They made a nest then? Perhaps they're part avian! Are there any feathers?" Ulric asked, excited.

"No... look..." Honey shined her light on a dark red spot on the ground. Red smudges were leading away from the pile and out the doorway that was sans a door.

"That looks like it could be... blood..." Ulric said, stepping forward to stand next to Honey. "Excellent! Some samples to test!" The excitable wolf got to work using some swabs to collect from the presumed blood spots.

"So they're injured..." Honey said quietly.

"Maybe... and look where it's going!" Without a thought, Ulric jogged out the door, tucking the bagged samples into his portable kit, which was set up similarly to his official CSI one. Honey started to follow, pulling out her phone.

"Ully, wait!" she said. "We need to call your dad."

Ulric stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his girlfriend, whining a little. "But, Honey, he'll try to stop us, and we're so close!"

"Ully," Honey said, looking him in the eyes, "they're hurt. That means they could be someone who needs help, or a mysterious entity that's now hurt and agitated and therefore dangerous. We need to let your father know."

"B-but... fine..." Ulric said, whipping his phone out. He tapped on the screen for a couple of minutes before putting it away. "Okay, I told him. Now let's go before the trail goes cold!"

"Wait, what exactly did you tell your dad?" Honey asked.

 _Back at the Ranch..._

"I don't know what it's supposed to mean," Dorian said. He was currently looking at his phone, having pulled it out while talking to Yuri and Malcolm. The two and their mates were visiting. "Ya know how yer brother is. I'll read it again fer y'all. _We cannot rule out egg sacs, due to pheromones or camouflage. The blood is fresh and old, but don't worry, lots of samples have been collected. We're in pursuit!._ "

Xavier blinked a few times while Yuri just scratched his head.

"So Ully's been off his meds fer a while now, right?" Yuri asked.

"Maybe he's remembering a nightmare again?" Xavier offered, before Dorian received another notification of a text.

"This one's from Honey," he said before reading it.

 _Ulric and I have been tracking someone, possibly a homeless mammal or Catsquatch. They've been sleeping in an old partially burnt-out barn. We found blood and are following the trail and scent. They might be hurt. We're currently traveling west along a creek. Please send help._

Dorian looked at the text twice before reading it out loud again. Not wasting a moment, he pointed to the black wolf. "Yuri, go get Ada, and let her know what's happening. I'll call up yer brother and Vanna and rope them in as well. That barn's the old Hopson's property, and right about now on their patrol they should be right around where the creek meets the river. They can help backtrack. Xavier, go let yer Ma know what's happening." The older white law wolf didn't have to repeat himself. His sons bolted to do as they were told, knowing that the situation was a serious one.

"It might be a wild goose chase, but still, we can't take that chance," he said softly to himself before making his way to his cruiser and getting on the radio.

 _In the Northern Meadowlands Woods..._

"Okay, I just got a text from your dad," Honey said as she jogged to keep up with an increasingly excited Ulric, "and he told us he's on the way with backup and that we're to back off."

"LOOK!" Ulric said, not having been listening. Honey looked through a clearing and saw a figure. From the distance that they were from them, it was hard to determine their height. She saw a shock of shaggy brown fur trailing down the from the figure's head to just past their shoulders. They turned and looked behind them, and she saw a pale, furless face. They seemed frightened, and started to move faster, clearly limping. Honey immediately thought back to Vernon and Dawn's cubs, specifically to their youngest mystery mammal.

"They might be the same species as Lily," she said, not noticing Ulric's ears twitching.

"Agreed. Which means that the underground lizard-people have targeted Vernon, clearly because you and I are getting too close," was Ulric's response. Before Honey could respond, he took off.

"Ully, wait!" she called, chasing after her mate. They were still following the creek bed when they heard a loud yelp followed almost immediately by a pained howl. They burst through some bushes to find the mammal they had been chasing in a ditch, backed up to an old and gnarled tree. The mammal was panting hard and scooting back as quickly as they could away from Vanna, the large tigress with both paws held out in front of her. Zach was right by her side, his paw resting on the butt of his tranq gun. Both were looking at the unknown mammal with wide eyes. Neither took their eyes off of the mammal, but were still aware of Ulric and Honey's appearance on the scene.

"I already let Papa Hunter know where we are, we're not too far from the main road into town." Sure enough, it wasn't too much longer before Dorian stepped through the trees, stopping when he got a look at the mammal, who was now whimpering in pain and fear, looking around at the growing number of mammals with wild eyes. Yuri and Ada were right behind, the black wolf and hyena looking at the scene in mild shock.

"Huh. I guess I owe Xavier twenty bucks that Ully wasn't just chasing another ostrich... and Ma another thirty since he doesn't have his head stuck in a tree again," Yuri snorted with a smirk, before a paw swatted him on the back of the head.

"Hush now, Yuri," Audrey said, scolding her son, "now ain't the time or place fer that. When we get home, we can discuss what you now owe to who. Fer now, go on over to yer brother and make sure he doesn't do anything... rash..."

Yuri grumbled but complied, making his way over to Ulric, giving the mammal in the ditch a wide berth. Ada and Audrey went to stand next to Dorian, everyone present having any possible escape route blocked off. The mammal looked around, still panting out of breath, coming to that very conclusion. Just as Vanna started to speak calmly to the terrified mammal, their eyes started to water, and their shoulders began hitch.

"P-please," a small and slightly rasping voice croaked out. All eyes were on the mammal, tears streaming down their face as they tried to hold back a sob. "P-please... don't kill me..." The voice sounded like a child's. Dorian, getting a closer look, took in the sight of the mammal, and based on the limited knowledge of this species from knowing his granddaughter, to the best of his ability, Dorian determined that this was a child. Their hair was long and brown, unkempt, and with clumps. Like Lily, aside from the fur on their head and their eyebrows, they were otherwise furless. They were wearing a large coat much too large for themselves. It was dirty and torn, but appeared to be some kind of long navy blue coat, with copper buttons. The pants were what he guessed to be black once, but were caked in mud and dirt; the left pant leg was cut, with blood leaking out. The child looked up at Dorian pleadingly, the law wolf filing away that their left eye was brown, and the right eye was bright green. "P-please... just let me go..."

"Oh," Audrey said under her breath, also realizing that they were looking at a child, her heart immediately hurting at the state of them.

"We can't do that, kiddo. You're out here, all alone, and hurt. We just want to help you," Dorian said, calmly and softly. He noted how confused the child seemed to be, and how they shrank back when he took a step forward. They started breathing faster, and that was when Ada stepped into the ditch. The hyena flashed them a smile, not showing her teeth, and just slowly walked forwards.

"Hiya. My name's Ada, what's you's?" Ada asked.

The child looked confused again, possibly from her Barx accent, and looked round, as though to make sure no one else was approaching, and only seemed mildly relieved at that. "M-M-Marcus..."

 _So this is a boy then? Aside from size, not too much difference from Lily,_ Dorian thought to himself.

"Well, it's nice to meetcha, Mista Marcus," Ada continued on, coming to a similar conclusion as Dorian, "I'm a registered noice, and I was hoping to get a look at dat leg of yers. Would dat be okay?" Ada stopped walking forward, her paws open, showing just the first aid kit she had on paw.

"... Y-you... you're n-not gunna k-kill me?" Marcus asked, his voice tapering off with a whimper.

"Naw!" Ada said with a wave of her paw. "Dat's kinda da opposite of my job."

Marcus whined when he scooted back again, using his bad leg. He let out a gasp and nodded.

"O-okay..."

Ada gave him her brightest smile and lightly stepped towards him, getting to work right away.

"Well, dat dere's a nasty gash you got dere. It's probably gunna need some stitches. But also, da skin here's lookin' a little inflamed, I tink dat it might be a mild infection." Ada said after she gently tore open the hole around the wound and cleaned it. She apologized when she had to use the rubbing alcohol, making Marcus wince and hiss. She soon had the wound bandaged and wrapped up in gauze to the best of her ability.

"Yer gunna have to go to a hospital, Kiddo," she said. At the mention of a hospital, he started to scramble away the best he could, hurting his already injured leg, making him yelp again.

"Woah, calm down dere," Ada said, soft but a bit more firm.

"P-please d-don't dissect me!" Marcus pleaded, the tears streaming down his face.

"No one's gunna dissect ya, buddy," Ada said. Up outside of the ditch, Ulric was starting to become more frantic.

"But we gotta get learn about their species!" he said before Yuri practically tackled him, clamping a paw around his muzzle.

"Shut yer yap!" Yuri hissed to his brother who was still squirming, and now whining. The entire display further distressed the boy.

"Marcus, look at me," Ada said. Her tone was serious and she was looking the child in his mismatched-colored eyes. Marcus stopped his movement as he looked at her, his breathing still fast.

"I promise you dat no one is gunna dissect or hoit ya. I'm not gunna let that happen. No one here is gunna let dat happen. Even the wolf dat my Mookie is pinnin' to da ground ain't gunna do nuthin' to ya. Da Sheriff was tellin' da truth. We just wanna help ya." Ada had moved closer, not caring about her jeans getting muddy, as she slowly took the strange mammal's paw in both of her own, never once breaking eye contact. She could see in his eyes the fear, but also the flame of hope. She read in him that he wanted, desperately, to believe her. And after a tense minute, she watched as he let out a shuddered breath and gave the slightest of nods.

"P-promise?" he asked, his voice near a whisper.

"Promise," Ada said, smiling.

 _A Little While Later, at the Northern Meadowlands Hospital..._

"It's good that you brought him in when you did, Sheriff," Doctor Catson said, the large lynx speaking softly out in the hall to the law wolf. "That gash on his leg was definitely inflamed and very close to becoming outright infected. That combined with his living conditions and his malnourishment could have ended up costing him his leg, assuming he would have been found or sought out help later on down the road."

"According to my boy and his mate, this kid's been living out in those woods for a few weeks," Dorian scratched the back of his head as he said this. "They said that they think he's been livin' off of wild berries, creek and river water, and they say they found some empty cans they think had food in them. But they're not sure how old those are."

The lynx nodded at this, letting out a sigh. "That matches what I've seen so far. But... there is something else that I need to inform you of."

"What is it, Lyle?" Dorian said, his ears perking up.

Doctor Catson paused, as though he wasn't sure of just how to proceed. "There is evidence that this child has suffered... past abuse..."

Dorian frowned at that, not that he was surprised. The way Marcus kept flinching and shrinking back from physical contact was a big indicator.

"There are some scars on the back of his paws... and... well... a very extensive series of scars across his back..." Lyle opened a folder he was holding and showed it to Dorian. It contained some pictures on the backs of the boys hands, showing the faded raised skin, and a large picture of his back. Dorian saw these bright pink, and significantly fresh scars criss-crossing and nearly covering the entirety of his back.

"Do you have any idea as to what caused this?" Dorian asked, already knowing that what he was seeing was not caused by an accident.

"It's possible a knife of some kind... but I would put my money on some kind of switch or a whip."

Neither male said anything for a moment.

"I've already called and informed Child Protective Services, however, since it seems we're dealing with a potentially undiscovered species, a researcher to confirm sentience is being dispatched first."

Dorian snorted at that but nodded. "I'm pretty sure we can go ahead and agree that he's sentient. One of my granddaughters is actually the same species as that boy in there. She doesn't know what her species is, but she is sentient, that's fer sure. Alright then, I'd like to speak to him, if he's currently up for it."

Lyle smiled and nodded at that. "He's been all stitched up and is currently awake, so go right ahead, Sheriff."

Dorian thanked the lynx before heading down the nearby hall to the room number he had been given. He entered the hospital room, with a calm smile on his muzzle. He saw Marcus sitting up in his bed, hooked up to an IV. He took note of how the boy tensed up when he entered, but chose not to address it. Marcus was looking noticeably better now that he was no longer filthy, and the simple light blue hospital scrubs were an improvement over his torn and dirty clothes. "How're ya feelin', Marcus?"

"Uhm... b-better... th-the nurse l-let me g-go t-take a sh-shower, uhm, s-sir..." Marcus said. The boy watched Dorian's every move as the law wolf pulled up a chair and took a seat.

"If you'd like, you can just call me Dorian."

"O-oaky... D-Dorian..." Marcus said, his voice not as raspy as it had been.

"Alright, now that we've established that I ain't gunna hurt ya," Dorian said with a gentle smile as he leaned forward a little in his chair, "how 'bout we have a little talk?"

Marcus nervously nodded towards the white wolf, before looking back down at his hands as he was sitting cross-legged on the hospital bed, resting them in his lap.

"Let's start with something easy. You said yer name was Marcus. How about yer last name?"

"W-Wulfram," Marcus said with a stuttered whisper. Dorian nodded and filed the name away.

"Is that Wolfram with an 'o', or two f's? Can y'all spell it?"

"W-u-l-f-r-a-m," Marcus spelled out, looking uncomfortable as he did so.

"Alright, this is good," he said in a reassuring voice, "and how old are you, Marcus?"

Marcus looked up at the ceiling before saying "Eighteen," in an obviously fake deep voice. Dorian frowned and leaned back in his seat, the law wolf folding his arms and staring at Marcus.

"Marcus, I want to help you, but yer doin' yerself no favors by lyin' to me. This nose of mine can smell bullshit, so how about we try that again."

Marcus trembled a little and shrank back in on himself for a moment. "I-I meant to say that I j-just turned eighteen," he said. Dorian just continued to stare at the boy, his expression unchanged.

"W-well, I mean I **will** b-be turning eighteen i-in a few days." Marcus tried, noticing the wolf still staring at him with that same, almost disappointed expression. Marcus gulped.

"O-okay... I-I'm sixteen," Marcus said, his false deep voice lightening. Seeing the still unamused expression on Dorian's muzzle, Marcus started to sweat a little.

"F-fifteen?" Marcus tried, it sounded more like a question than a statement. After many years as an officer, Dorian knew how to interrogate, and watched as the boy before him slumped his shoulders and hung his head.

"I just turned t-twelve," Marcus said miserably. Dorian smiled a little at getting the truth out of the boy, and started to perk right back up.

"There we go," Dorian said before his smile vanished, seeing silent tears start to trail their way down the strange young mammal's furless cheeks.

"Please don't put me into the system," Marcus pleaded in a whisper, once more briefly looking up into Dorian's eyes. Dorian saw how visibly afraid Marcus was and relaxed his posture.

"Hey now, we're just talkin' here, that's all. Yer not in any trouble," Dorian said soothingly, reaching out to rest a paw on the boy's shoulder, noticing him once again flinch away from physical contact and making another mental note about it.

"Please," Marcus asked again looking back down at his hands, "I-I know what happens to kids in the system... and I'll be the only one of... please... just let me go..."

"Marcus," Dorian said after a momentary pause, "please look at me." Dorian waited while the boy took a few deep breaths to try and compose himself and slowly came to look the white wolf in the eye. "I can't do that. Yer a minor and yer all by yerself. You were living out in the woods, injured, and sick.

Marcus slumped his shoulders, looking defeated once again, and Dorian felt a twinge at the sight. "Look, I promise you that I ain't about to let anything happen to you, okay? I know that you might not believe me right now, but yer not going to be alone anymore, understood?" Marcus looked at him in momentary confusion before swallowing a lump in his throat and nodding, not really sure of what to believe.

"Now, maybe we can move on to some questions about yer parents?" Dorian saw how Marcus immediately tensed up, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Okay, okay, we can table that fer another time," Dorian offered in a soft tone. He waited while Marcus started to calm down, but could still see a slight tremble in the boy.

Just then, there was a knocking at the door, which was quickly opened. In strode an older deer wearing a lab coat and carrying a small briefcase. Behind him trailed Zach and Vanna. The sight of all these additional mammals cause a slight whimper to escape from Marcus' throat.

"Can I help you?" Dorian asked with a frown.

"Andrew Deerborn, head of the Civilized Mammalian Research Center. We were informed of a potentially newly discovered species, and I am here to determine if that is indeed the case, and to determine sentience, and report my findings," he briskly said, walking over to the bed and setting his briefcase down on a nearby bedside table.

"You certainly got here awful fast," Dorian said, not liking this sudden intrusion as he was building a rapport with a now more clearly agitated Marcus, who had scooted back from the bed.

"We have an office in the Southern Meadowlands, and the video and pictures sent have helped expedite the process. Of course, this could be yet another potential prank or false alarm," he said, putting white latex gloves over his hooves. He then brought out a clipboard and pen.

"Alright. I've already collected a sample of the blood and hair collected by the medical staff here, along with a copy of its medical report." As the deer scribbled notes down on his clipboard, and started checking boxes as he walked around the bed, a chord was struck by Dorian, Zach, and Vanna simultaneously.

 _Did he just call him_ _it_ _?!_

"Hmm..." Deerborn leaned in close, looking at Marcus over his glasses.

"Hmm... interesting. Such a lack of fur...is it some sort of disease? Does you species shear?"

"Huh? N-no..."

"Very interesting... Poor fur coverage ratio... But thumbs, so that's a plus." Then, without warning, the deer leaned forward and opened Marcus' mouth with one hoof, shining a flashlight into his mouth with the other, the clipboard tucked under an arm. "Hmm... Omnivore, based on the tooth structure. The mark of an indecisive species... well, one cannot expect all sentient mammals to be fully evolved... still..." He let go, and Marcus curled up a bit, breathing faster.

"Yer scarin' the boy!" Zach said, with a low growl.

"DO... YOU... SPEAK... ANIMANGLISH?" he asked very loudly and very slowly, completely ignoring the unamused deputy. Marcus squeaked and scooted back, flinching away, and nodding.

"Y-yes, sir."

He then turned to the assembled Hunters. "And no one here has spent any time coaching it basic responses? That would invalidate my results."

Zach answered. " _Him_! Coaching _Him_! And _NO_!"

"I'll make no sex determinations until I've done a full body inspection." Deerborn said, readjusting his latex gloves. At that, Dorian let out a growl of his own.

"Like hell you are! If one hoof o' yers ventures south o' that boys belt you'll be hangin' from yer stethoscope!" Dorian said, inserting himself between the bed and the now flummoxed deer.

"B-but my research," he protested to an uncaring Dorian.

"Y'all were sent here to determine if a new species has been found and if they're sentient," Dorian said, stepping further. "Now, ya've already interviewed the boy, ya've taken yer notes, and ya have yer samples."

"B-but..." Deerborn said, backing up a step for each step Dorian took towards him. Finally, he swallowed a lump in his throat, and found his briefcase shoved into his hooves.

"V-very well... b-based on the minimum standards provided, it is my determination that the... child in question is indeed sentient, and v-visually of a species that I myself have never encountered or read about before. Further s-study of the s-samples will prove or deny that. B-but I still d-don't know the species name!"

"H-humans," came a quiet voice. All eyes turned towards Marcus, who was still curled up a bit and looking in their direction. "H-u-m-a-n-s. Pronounced humans. That's what we call ourselves."

Deerborn scribbled that down and made his way out the door.

Dorian offered Marcus a smile, and the boy started to uncurl a bit. Inwardly, the older law wolf breathed a sigh of relief.

Dorian took a few more minutes taking a seat back in the chair and further helping Marcus to calm down. It wasn't long after Zach and Vanna left the room that Marcus let out a big yawn. "I think that it's about time that ya get yerself some rest, Marcus."

"Okay... th-thank you... s-sir... uhm... Dorian..." Marcus said, clearly sleepy.

"Yer very welcome, son. Now, get some shuteye," Dorian said, softly. He didn't need to tell the boy twice, as when he made it to the door, he could hear light snoring coming from the bed behind him. He closed the door behind him and stood there, an idea coming to him. He walked out to the waiting room, and saw Yuri sitting next to Ulric, glaring at him. Dorian noticed Ada, Honey, and Audrey chatting about something in hushed whispers while Vanna sat nearby, next to her mate, looking to him as he entered the room.

"He's gunna be just fine, and right now he's gettin' some sleep. But, uh, Zach, can I have a word with ya?"

Zach nodded and stood up, looking confused, like just about everyone else, and followed his father down another hall. Once they were in an empty hospital room is when Dorian decided to start.

"Zach, do you think that you and Vanna would be willin' to become legal foster parents to Marcus?" the older law wolf asked, looking at his son, who took a moment to process just what was being asked.

"Wait... WHAT?! Pa... what about you and Ma?! Y'all got plenty of space up at the ranch!"

"Well, we're plannin' on makin' some changes, actually. A pup like Marcus needs some stability. And I can't think of anyone more stable than you and Vanna," Dorian explained.

"Changes?" Zach asked confused, before deciding to table his curiosity for the time being. "B-but Pa, me and Vanna have talked over adoptin', sure. B-but we've been thinkin' that we'd prefer either a wolf pup or a tiger cub, y'know, so we could relate more easily. I mean, we don't know anything much about these _hue-mans_!"

"I know that what I'm askin' you ain't easy, or something to decide on the fly. But that pup in there doesn't deserve to be poked and prodded, or shuffled from place to place. You saw how terrified he was, convinced that anyone who saw him was gunna hurt him. The last thing he needs in his life is any kind of confirmation of that belief. Please, just think it over, son," Dorian implored. Zach looked down at his wringing paws, before looking up into his father's eyes. He let out a slight whine before nodding.

"I-I'll discuss it with Vanna, Pa," Zach said. Dorian nodded and lightly smiled. Watching his son walk down the hall, Dorian waited for him to disappear around the corner before pulling out his phone. He tapped on its face before holding it up to his ear.

"Hey, Xavier. I know that this is yer and Malcolm's vacation, but yer brother and sister-in-law could really use yer help. They're gunna become foster parents to the pup we found in the woods," Dorian said, a smirk on his muzzle.

 _A Short Time Later..._

"WHAT?!" Vanna exclaimed. She and Zach were currently in the parking lot of the hospital for their private talk. "B-but what about Papa and Mama Hunter?! Surely they have plenty of room, what with raising seven pups already!"

"Pa said that they're making changes to the ranch," Zach said sheepishly.

"Goofball," Vanna said, facepawing, "we already discussed having kids, and decided on one that's a species we're familiar with."

"I know, Kitten, but don't forget that we also ultimately agreed we just want kids period," Zach offered, "and there's a free one right there."

"Zach," Vanna rolled her eyes, before looking down at her mate, "he's a young cub, not a doughnut."

"I know, Kitten, but Pa was right. That pup in there needs some stability. And we can give that to him. Also, as foster parents, we can use this as a sorta trial-run fer bein' parents!"

"But... he was so scared of us... of me..." Vanna said, sadly.

"He was scared of everybody. But we can show him that he doesn't need to be afraid, especially of a big orange and black-striped marshmallow like you!"

Vanna blushed and let out a happy chuff. "S-still-"

"Plus, as we help him learn to open up, we can learn more about his species and their culture. Imagine how much we can help Lily," Zach said, knowing he had hit a bullseye. The mention of her youngest niece was enough to sway the usually stoic tigress. It briefly brought back the night of the storm, and with it a range of emotions.

"W-well... with Mama and Papa Hunter so close... we could have help with any... p-parenting issues that may arise..." Vanna said, suddenly finding her arms filled with her excitable mate, whose mouth found hers while his tail blurred happily behind him.

 **Phew! THAT was a BIG chapter! And I am so glad that I finally finished it! I really hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello there, readers! First of all, I'd like to say GAAAH! I HATE writer's block! Secondly, YAAAY! I'm so happy and excited to bring to you the next chapter of** _ **Found**_ **! And I would like to thank two very wonderful mammals! The amazing author and artist,** _ **WastedTimeEE**_ **, for not only letting me write in their AU and use their characters, as well as for answering all of my many questions about them! And the second being the adorable** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **(who's also an awesome author), for their proofreading and very much appreciated suggestions! Thank you both!** _ **Hugs**_ **! And I would also like to thank you, the readers, for your patience and for your words of encouragement (they help more than you realize)!** _ **Hugs**_ **.**

 **Please feel free to leave a review!**

Found (Chapter 14)

by

Elite Shade

"So he didn't know anything?" Dawn asked, the diminutive ewe unable to keep a note of disappointment from creeping into her voice.

"Sorry, Dawn," Judy said. The two were currently in Dawn and Vern's living room, Judy in her street clothes, a tray of prey snacks on the coffee table before them as they sat on the couch. "He didn't remember anything out of the ordinary, aside from finding Lily."

Dawn sighed, but smiled at her friend. "That's okay. It's just... this is all so frustrating. You would think that with a species as rare as Lily's, that they'd stand out."

"True, and that just makes this all the more strange. All we got was that Lily was found in an alley near the entrance to the Nocturnal District."

"The Nocturnal District?" Dawn asked. "That's still another clue. Lily did say that it got dark..."

"Nick suggested that maybe Lily's bio-mom was seen there, and he even got in touch with some old contacts to put out his feelers. But so far, nothing," Judy said, not sounding too hopeful about their chances. "Although he is meeting some of them right now. Well, he and Finnick."

"I hope that they're not putting themselves in danger!" Dawn said, feeling suddenly guilty for roping her friends into a potentially hazardous situation.

"They both assured me that they're not in any danger," Judy said, patting Dawn's hoof. "Hopefully it won't be a waste of time."

"Any kernel of information is invaluable, Judy," Dawn said with a warm smile. She noticed the bunny officer's ears perking and turning towards the front door.

"Oh. Vernon's back, and he's got the kits with him," Judy said, smiling, feeling a bubble of excitement at finally getting to meet Dawn and Vernon's kits. They didn't have to wait long before the front door was opened, in striding Vernon carrying Lily and Trevor in his arms, Alice right in front, all four of them laughing.

"And that's why yer Uncle Ully's been banned from all Snarlbucks everywhere," Vernon rumbled out with a chuckle, before spying the two females sitting on the living room couch. His muzzle broke into an easy grin.

"So did he find the ghosts?" Lily asked innocently.

Vernon let out a snicker. "There were no ghosts, Sweetpea," he said while gently squeezing her and her brother in a hug as he still held them. "It was just an albino puma whom yer Uncle scared and pestered." Vernon chose to omit the part where Ulric had started disrobing to reveal the anti-spirit runes he had drawn on himself with a marker.

"Heya, Honey Lamb, and hey there, Judy," he said, shifting the conversation, and his pups' attention to the couch.

"Hiya, Vern!" the bunny said chipperly as she watched the large wolf set down the children in his arms. She watched as Alice took her place before them, in a protective fashion, before they were herded their way. She had to coo at the sight of them, especially how Lily held her brother's hoof, smiling but now seeming a little shy at meeting a new mammal. She also noticed how the little black wolf pup was staring at her, almost confused-looking.

"Kids, this is your Aunt Judy," Dawn said, inadvertently putting the bunny on the spot. Not that Judy was put-off by kits.

"Hi there!" Her voice was gentle yet energetic and full of pep, which seemed to put the children at ease, although Alice did still seem to be a little guarded.

"Hi, Aunt Judy!" Lily said, her shyness evaporating to be replaced with excitement. The greeting was echoed by Trevor and Alice, both happily as well.

"Awww, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you're Lily," Judy said with a giggle to match the one the little furless mammal gave. "And this young ram must be Trevor," she said, noting how shy he still seemed to be, but he nodded and smiled at her. Then Judy turned her attention to the pup who was still staring at her, shifting her backpack a little. "And that means you're Alice, right sweetie?" Alice looked around quickly before nodding.

"Are you a princess?" Lily asked, prompting a coo from the females and a chuckle from Vernon.

"No, sweetie. I'm a police officer," Judy proudly said.

"Oh, I only asked because you look just like Princess Floppington, Alice's stuffed bunny," Lily said. Starting with coming home from the theater, Dawn and Vern had quickly learned that Lily was terrible at keeping secrets. Alice's eyes went wide and she blushed beneath her fur as her ears splayed flat on her head.

"Lily," she hissed to her little sister, "I _used_ to have a stuffed bunny. I don't anymore!"

"But don't you take her to school with you in your backpack?" Lily asked. Alice shook her head no, but readjusted her backpack.

"Awww, it's okay, sweetie," Judy chimed in, making the pup practically jump and turn to her. "I brought a whole bunch of my stuffed animals to Zootopia with me after I moved here. In fact, I even had a special one that I kept in my bunk at the police academy.

"... Really?" Alice asked, sounding skeptical, to be met with a vigorous nod from the rabbit. "Yup! His name is Mr. Vulper, and he's a little stuffed fox." Judy, as well as Dawn and Vernon, both noticed how Alice's tail, which had been tucking itself, was now starting to wag. They both smiled at Judy, who smiled right back.

"Oh... uh... I gotta go put my school stuff away," Alice said, looking away, still blushing, before she dashed off, followed by Lily, while Trevor smiled shyly. Dawn noticed her little black ram standing there with a piece of paper in his hooves.

"What you got there, honey?" Dawn asked, patting the space on the couch next to her. Trevor approached, seeming nervous, and climbed up and found Dawn pulling him closer with an arm.

"W-we got to write an essay today, and Mr. Hornberg l-let us pick what we wanted to write..." Trevor trailed off before presenting Dawn the paper. She smiled when she saw the red marker A+ complete with a smiley face at the top. Her grin only grew wider when she saw the title of the essay.

 _My New Family, by Trevor Hunter-Bellwether._ The essay was about how happy Trevor was that he and his sisters were able to find such a big and loving family. He described how much he loved his grandparents, talked about his wonderful aunts and uncles that they'd met so far, about how excited he was to meet the rest of them, and about how happy his new mommy and daddy made them all. Shifting her glasses, she wiped away a tear with a hoof before pulling her lamb into a hug, kissing him on his forehead. Judy cooed after Dawn collected herself and read the essay aloud, giggling at the sight of Vernon ruffling Trevor's head fluff.

"This here is worthy of the fridge," Vernon said, to which Dawn agreed. She handed him the essay before hugging Trevor close again, eliciting a happy bleat from the small ram. As Vernon was securing the essay to the fridge with a pair of banana magnets, his phone started to buzz. He fished it out and saw that it was a call from his father. He smiled as he answered it and held it up to his ear.

"Hey there, Pa," he said, looking out from the kitchen to see Lily proudly showing Princess Callibrie to Judy, the small lizard now dressed in some doll-sized princess garb, and Alice, now sitting on Dawn's other side, blushing as she showed Dawn what was apparently a school assignment of her own, which Dawn was praising and hugging her for as well, still one arm around Trevor, alternating between kissing each of their foreheads. The sight made Vernon's heart swell with joy so much, that after a minute, he realized that he had completely tuned his father out.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that, Pa, I missed what you said." Vernon stood there listening to the older law wolf on the other end. His eyes slowly started to go wide, and his tail started to wag. He turned away from the living room and spoke softly. "Yer sure? Y'all actually found another of Lily's species? That's wonderful! What're they called?" Vernon's questions were rapid fire, and he had to take a second to calm himself, so as not to attract attention.

"Huemans? How do y'all spell that? Oh," Vernon said, opening a drawer in the kitchen and pulling out a pen and a notepad of paper. He wrote down the species name as he listened to what his father had to say. Slowly, his tail stopped wagging, and his smile became a frown. Dorian was explaining how Marcus, a child, being all alone in the woods, was injured and sick, and showed signs of past abuse, in addition to malnutrition. Then Dorian explained the scars. Vernon had to bite back a natural growl.

"Has anybody been able to contact his parents?" He listened some more, his ears perking in confusion. "Really? Zach and Vanna? Oh no, I'm sure that they're gunna be great foster parents. I just figured you and Ma would wanna take him in yerselves. Oh."

 _In The North Meadowlands..._

"Yeah, and yer brother and sister-in-law got a room in their place all ready fer the boy. They're both still purty nervous, especially Vanna, but Zach seems to be gettin' more and more excited at being a pa himself," Dorian chuckled. "And I have a feelin' that with them, Marcus'll start to feel safe. And then, if'n he feels like it, he might be willin' to share more about his species. 'Course, right now he seems just about spooked by everything. Anyways, I just wanted to keep you and Dawn updated on what's goin' on, son," Dorian said as he stood in the hall a few doors down from Marcus' room, where Zach currently was explaining to Marcus that he was going to be coming home with him and Vanna in another couple of days when the doctors deemed he would be all healed up.

"Huh? Oh that. Xavier took care of that part. Got all the paperwork in, submitted, and accordin' to him, expedited, so there's no need to worry on that front," Dorian explained, suddenly noticing his mate approaching. "Look, Son, I gotta go. I'll call ya later when I know more. Tell Dawn and the pups Gramma and Grampa say 'Hi'," the white wolf smiled as he put his phone away, before frowning. He had asked the doctor if he and his mate could use his office for a private conversation, with which the doctor happily complied. Dorian silently led Audrey in and closed the door behind them. The she-wolf was fidgeting, not liking what was about to come next.

"Now, Auddey, I gotta warn ya that this picture... it ain't a pretty sight..." Dorian said seriously to his mate. Audrey nodded, feeling a sense of foreboding.

"If I see 'em now, Dori, I can keep from goin' overboard when I see 'em for real," the she-wolf said. The white wolf nodded and, opening the folder he had been holding in his free paw, passed her the photo. She took a breath and looked down. She near-instantaneously let out a whimper as she saw the crisscrossing scars that almost completely covered Marcus' back.

"Sweet sawgrass," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper, "did he say what caused this?"

"... A whip..." Dorian muttered, unsurprised at the low growl that came from Audrey.

"Someone... used a whip... on that puppy..." It was a statement, not a question, her anger and revulsion were palpable.

"Yes... when he was eleven..." Dorian noted how Audrey's growl devolved into a whimper as she started to tear up.

"That poor puppy!" Audrey said miserably. "Who would do something so... so... savage?!"

"Well, he didn't seem to want to go too much into detail... but based on our little talk, I think it was his father." Dorian growled as he said it, remembering how the boy had tensed up whenever the subject of his parents came up.

"What kinda spineless, cowardly, sorry excuse for a male goes and does something like this to their pup?!" Audrey asked, incensed.

"I didn't get the details, Auddey, but... well... you've seen how afraid of his own shadow he is, and how he flinches away whenever someone tries to touch him..." Dorian trailed off.

"What's gunna become of that poor pup, Dori?" Audrey asked, feeling fresh tears in her eyes.

"Well... he's terrified of bein' shipped off to a random foster home... and possibly fer a good reason."

"What are you thinking, Dori?" Audrey asked.

"I was kinda thinkin' that since, y'know darlin', that if he entered the foster program, he'd probably be shipped somewhere far away from here. I mean, he's been livin' in them woods fer months, so stayin' here in the Meadowlands would definitely ensure that he stays someplace that's familiar to him. And also, he's the only other member of Lily's species that we've seen, ever..."

"Oh!" Audrey exclaimed, suddenly understanding what her mate was getting at. "You think we should take him in?" Her tail started to wag a bit. Dorian coughed a little and looked uncomfortable.

"Uh... not exactly, Auddey," Dorian said. "what with all the changes we're makin' at the ranch, I was thinkin' that maybe someplace close by where we could help when needed, with a pair of good and caring mammals."

"Yer thinkin' of Zach and Vanna then?" Audrey asked, nodding her head, her tail wagging a little. "Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea, Dori." Dorian smiled, his own tail swishing a bit.

"What with their house all finished, they got plenty of space. Also, I saw how Zach was able to calm him down when the poor boy was terrified out of his mind and clearly in pain. Plus, I already talked him into it..."

Audrey swatted her mate on the arm. "And y'all didn't think to bring me into the conversation before doin' that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Dorian rubbed the back of his head and looked uncomfortable. "W-well, I saw an opportunity and kinda took it. Plus, I still had Zach talkin' about how excited he was fer when he and Vanna managed to adopt from earlier that day on my mind as it was..." Audrey rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Well, I just know that they're gunna do right by that poor pup," she said, bringing a smile to her mate's muzzle. They linked arms and exited the office just as Zach was leaving Marcus' room. The couple spotted their son, and the wide grin on his muzzle, his tail a happy blur behind him. He spotted his parents and jogged over.

"So I broke the news to him, and Marcus is real excited that we're gunna be his foster parents!" Zach looked like he was ready to let out a happy howl.

"Excited, was he?" Dorian asked.

"W-well, he was happy to be leaving the hospital and even happier that he wasn't gunna go in the system. He even said that me and Vanna both seemed nice, so that's a step in the right direction, anyways."

"Where is Vanna?" Audrey asked, wondering where her tiger daughter-in-law was.

"Oh, she was out getting some more things fer Marcus' room. Also, she said that since Marcus is an omnivore, that it's a good idea to stock up on a few different non-meat varieties of food."

"OH! Maybe Marcus would like to try one of my homemade pumpkin pies?" Audrey suggested, now feeling excited about having another grandpup to dote over.

"Good idea, Ma," Zach said, looking as though he was about to lift off the ground tail first, with how fast it was wagging.

"Now hold on," Dorian interjected, "remember that we gotta be ginger with the boy. Can't go overwhelming him all at once. He's in a strange place, surrounded by strange mammals that up until very recently, he was convinced were gunna harm or eat him. And he may not be convinced that that ain't gunna happen, not entirely at least."

Zach let out a whine but nodded, once his tail had slowed. "Yer right, Pa," Zach said, looking into his father's eyes. "I'm just so excited is all. In a couple of days, me and Vanna are gunna take our pup home fer the first time."

Dorian rested a paw on his boy's shoulder, chuckling. "I understand, Son. Just try not to go too overboard too quickly, okay?"

Audrey let out a huff. "I'm still gunna bake him a pie or two. In fact, I'm gunna head on back to the ranch and do just that," the she-wolf said, heading towards her beat-up truck. Dorian smirked after his mate, while Zach smiled.

 _Back in Savannah Central..._

"You know what I am?" Lily asked in wonder. Presently, she was seated on Vernon's lap, cradling Princess Callibrie in her arms, after Vernon convinced her to take the princess attire off the poor lizard. Princess Callibrie chirped and nudged Lily's paw, a sign that she wanted to be petted, which the little furless mammal was happy to oblige. Currently, Judy was playing a game with Alice and Trevor while Dawn and Vernon had a little chat with their littlest daughter.

"That's right, sweetie!" Dawn said, excited. "Your Grampa Dorian and some of your uncles and aunties found a member of your species in the North Meadowlands."

"WOOOOOW! Are they a princess?" Lily asked. Vernon smirked, loving how Lily seemed obsessed with all things princess-related.

"W-well, actually, he's a young boy, a little older than you."

Lily was quiet for a second as she absorbed that information. "Was he all by himself?"

Dawn frowned, as did Vernon, but they both knew just how much they were going to share with Lily. "Y-yes... and he was sick, so they took him to the hospital. At first he was really scared, but then they calmed him down, and since he's by himself, your Auntie Vanna and Uncle Zach are going to become his foster parents."

"So I have a new cousin?" Lily asked, leaning into Vernon's embrace.

"That's right, sweetpea," Vernon said. "And while he hasn't talked a whole lot about yer species, he did tell us the name."

"What is it?"

"Human. Yer a species that's called human."

Lily was quiet again before she turned to look up into Vernon's face. "Can I be a human and a wolf?" Vernon smiled wide and hugged her again.

"Of course. Ya may be a human, but yer still my littlest pup, and never ferget it, little missy," he said, tickling her sides, causing her to giggle. Once Lily had calmed down again, she looked between her parents, smiling excitedly.

"Can we go visit my new cousin? Pretty please?"

"Absolutely, sweetie," Dawn said, taking one of Lily's paws in both of her hooves. "But we first want your new cousin to get all comfortable and settled in first, okay?"

"Okay!" At that, Dawn leaned over and hugged her daughter, as the two of them were wrapped in Vernon's massive arms, and Princess Callibire chirped. After a minute like that, Vernon cleared his throat.

"Now, how about we go tell yer brother and sister the good news?"

 **YAY! And there we have it! I certainly hoped that you enjoyed the new chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey there, readers! This chapter was challenging, because every time I started working on it, someone or something would come along and interrupt me. Every. Single. Time. But hey, here it is! I certainly hope that you enjoy it!**

Found (Chapter 15)

by

Elite Shade

Sunlight drifted through the window with the warm glow of morning, revealing the forms of Dawn and Vernon, snuggled up together in their large circular bed.

"Mornin', Honey Lamb," the large wolf rumbled, knowing his mate was already awake.

"Good morning, Puppy," Dawn said with a yawn, giving her mate a tired smile, just before she found herself being pulled into a loving embrace.

"You had the dream again, didn't ya?" Vernon asked. "The one where yer father and Doug try to pupnap Lily." Dawn sighed and nodded.

"Sorta, only this time there was what I think were adult hoomans, or at least what my mind assumes adults of their species looks like. And they were going to take her back," Dawn said with a frown. She felt Vernon resting his chin on her head floof.

"Y'know that that ain't ever gunna happen, right, Darlin'?"

"Maybe... but that does little to stop me from worrying. And not just about Lily. Trevor and Alice too!"

"... I know what ya mean, Floofs," Vernon said, his chin resting on his mate's head. "Accordin' to my Ma, worryin' about yer pups is part of the job of bein' a parent."

Dawn nodded at that. "Still though..." she said, before she noticed that the door to their room was starting to open. She could hear some faint giggles, and smiled, her worries fled back to the dark corner of the ewe's mind, as her curiosity, and joy, about her children's antics took firm hold.

"I think we have us some visitors," she said, loud enough to be heard, Vernon also looked on in curiosity, his tail already starting to thump the bed, as the door opened fully revealing Alice walking in, carrying a tray with food on it, her younger brother and sister trailing close behind her. All three were still in their pj's, with Lily carrying Princess Callibrie in her arms.

"H-happy birthday," Alice said, her tail wagging behind her. It took Dawn just a second to remember that it was indeed her birthday, and her heart melted at the sight of her lambs bringing her breakfast in bed.. She sat up straighter as Alice set up the tray across her lap.

"Oh my goodness, this is such a wonderful surprise! And what do we have here? Is this a fruit salad?" Dawn asked, noticing her oldest looking away and shuffling her feet.

"Am I correct in my assumption that you made me the salad, Allie?" she asked. The black wolf pup nodded, shuffling her feet some more. Dawn leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you, sweetie, it looks so good!" Dawn emphasized this by taking a few bites. She then looked at the glass of juice next to it, as well as the plate of what appeared to be toast... with pink frosting and heart-shaped sprinkles.

"And what else do we have here?"

"I made you some space juice, Mommy!" Trevor proudly declared, the little black lamb puffing out his chest as he said so. Dawn cooed and thanked him, taking a sip and was rewarded with a sweet, yet odd flavor.

"What makes this space juice, honey?" she asked.

"It's half grape juice, and half tang, like what astronauts drink in space!" he said, excitedly. Vernon chuckled and reached over to ruffle his head floof.

"I wanted to put 'meteor puffs' in the space juice, but Alice said 'cereal can't go in juice!'" Trevor said with a slight huff.

"Well, yer sister's right. Still, I bet it turned out nice and spacey," Vernon offered.

"And I made you some princess toast, Mommy!" Lily said with a bounce. The lizard in her arms let out a chirp as if to emphasize this.

"Oh? Princess toast? Well, it looks so good, what's in it, sweetie?" Dawn asked, reaching for a slice and picking it up in her hooves.

"Well, it's toast, with butter, some pink frosting, some sprinkles," Lily explained as Dawn took a big bite and started chewing, only to stop, her eyes going wide, "and lots of glitter!"

Dawn chewed it a couple more times before managing to swallow, scratchy plastic and all, "S-so you did..." she said, setting the toast down on the plate and looking into the excited and expectant eyes of her youngest daughter.

"I-it's delicious, sweetie, and thank you, thank you all so very much," Dawn said, leaning over to plant a kiss on Lily and Trevor's foreheads, before pulling all three into a hug. Dawn could hear Vernon's snickering and rolled her eyes.

"I can make you some more, Mommy! I can make some for everyone to have!" Lily offered, petting Princess Callibrie.

"Eh, maybe you'd like some help there, sweetpea?" Vernon asked, sitting up and climbing out of bed. Lily's eyes lit up even more.

"Yaaaaaay!" Lily said, heading for the door. Vernon headed out to follow her, turning to give Dawn a wink, with Trevor following behind. Alice stood there, feeling a little awkward.

"I tried to catch everything... but the glitter I must have missed, s-sorry," Alice said, surprised to find the gentle hoof resting on her shoulder. She looked up into Dawn's smiling face.

"You are a good daughter," Dawn says simply, prompting a sudden hug from Alice. Dawn was surprised, but quick to reciprocate, excited at the headway made in connecting to the anxious pup. Down in the kitchen, Vernon was "supervising" the next batches of princess toast. When Lily wasn't looking, he had dumped the rest of the glitter down the kitchen sink.

"Aw, shoot, sugar plum, we're all out," he said, smiling at his youngest apologetically.

"Awwww..." Lily said, before looking excited once again. "Oh! I think I saw some glitter glue in Trevor's room!" she said as she was stirring the canister of pink frosting. Vernon quickly motioned for Trevor to come to him and, while Lily was preoccupied with the frosting, he leaned down to whisper.

"Son, I will give you five bucks right now if you make sure that glitter glue disappears..."

"Why, Daddy?" He asks, making sure to be as quiet as his father.

"Just trust me, and teeth to tails don't tell Lily. Just say you were out of it, er' no fiver."

Trevor salutes, before running off.

"Where'd Trevor go?" Lily asked as she noticed him running out of the kitchen.

"Oh, eh, he's off to look fer that glitter glue," Vernon said, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yay! I hope he finds it! I don't wanna ruin the princess toast fer you and Mommy!" Lily said. Vernon let out one of his rumbling chuckles and gently picked up Lily in his arms for a hug.

"Well, if'n we can't find anymore, I'm sure that it'll turn out just fine, sugar plum," he said, kissing her head before setting her down. He noticed Princess Callibrie at her bowl, enjoying her freshly opened wet food out of the corner of his eye. He took note of how much bigger she had already gotten.

 _It's about time that we scheduled that lizard fer a an appointment with a vet._ he mentally filed this thought away for later, his smile becoming a bit more relaxed when he saw Trevor coming back, giving him a very obvious wink that, thankfully, Lily didn't see since her back was to him. Vernon ruffled his head floof, and the two helped Lily in making more of her princess toast.

 _In the Northern Meadowlands..._

"Alright, now, remember that y'all shouldn't go puttin' pressure on that leg of yers fer a little while, just to be safe." Zachary said to Marcus as he walked next to the human boy, who was on a pair of crutches, heading towards his and Vanna's cruiser. Vanna had pulled the car around to the front after they had signed Marcus out, slightly dazed. After getting some forms to fill out and handing them off to Zach's brother Xavier, they had officially become Marcus' foster parents.

 _Just like that, and we have a kitten,_ Vanna thought, feeling equal parts excitement and worry.

 _Okay Vanna,_ she mentally said to herself as she saw Zach and Marcus approaching the car, _just relax, and be conscious of how you act around him. Even if he's scared initially, you can show him that you're not that scary._ Vanna looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror and frowned, once again feeling self conscious of the imposing tigress staring back at her. Just then, the back door opens.

"Now, no need to rush." She heard her mate say to the boy as he took the crutches from him. "Nice and slow, there ya go!" Zach was gentle and chipper as he carried the crutches to the trunk to load them in, having already loaded up the few possessions Marcus had to his name. There was the odd, deep blue coat he had been wearing when he was found, with the copper buttons. It had a white faux fur lining, especially around the neck, several breast and hip pockets, and thick cuffs. It had the air to it of some form of military jacket, but so far not any that anyone whose seen it so far could recognize. Although it was Malcolm who had pointed out that the loop on the left hip was meant for a sword scabbard. Most likely something ceremonial. Audrey had happily, with Marcus' permission... along with the promise that she would bring it right back when done, washed it and sewn up the tears. While still a few sizes too large for him, Marcus seemed very attached to it.

He had given them directions to his latest campsite, where they found a light tan briefcase, with a few spare changes of clothes, and a silver pocket watch. Vanna looked at the kitten in the rearview mirror. He was a mystery. No one knew where he had come from, and so far, he has said nothing about it either. However, mystery or not, what Vanna saw as she watched him look around in curiosity at all the mammals walking or milling about, was a scared child, feeling all alone and not far from being overwhelmed.

"Don't worry, honey," Vanna says, turning to face him as she says it, "we're actually pretty nervous about this arrangement as well."

"R-really?" Marcus asks in surprise, as he looks down, afraid of making eye contact.

"Really. But, we'll all learn how to go from here, together. Okay?"'

"... O-okay, Mrs. Hunter."

"Please, just call us Zach and Vanna," she said, her and Zach having already discussed and decided on not pressuring the boy into calling them Mom and Dad. They wanted that to come naturally, when Marcus feels more comfortable.

"U-uh... y-yes... Vanna..." the boy said, looking unsure. It was at that moment that Zach finished getting the crutches sorted and closed the trunk, jogging back to the passenger side door.

"Alrighty, all set!" the wolf said, getting his wagging tail under control before settling himself in his seat and putting on his seatbelt. Marcus sat there, staring at the floorboard as the car started... but didn't move. It took a few moments before he dared to look up, and saw the smiling face of Zach staring back at him.

"Seatbelt, buddy," he said... noting the look of confusion on the boy's face. He then pulled out his own and let it snap back into place for playful emphasis. Marcus looked around the seat before finding his and buckling it.

"Atta boy!" Zach said as they started to pull out, Vanna smirking at her playful mate in the rearview mirror as she focused more on driving. Most of the trip was in silence, with Zach and Vanna both sneaking glances at Marcus and how he stared at all the sights they passed in the more urban part of the district, before they soon found themselves in the more rural fields of green, forests in the distance, farms and farm houses dotting the landscape. They even passed the Woodson's ostrich ranch, with old-mam Billy trotting the newest bird to their flock. The older beaver waved at the cruiser, smiling, as Marcus stared on, perplexed.

"Ever see an ostrich before?" Zach asked, startling Marcus out of his apparent daze.

"U-uh... I've read about them... but, wh-where are their horns?" he asked. At first, Zach thought he was kidding... but looked and saw the look of serious confusion on Marcus' face. He shared a look with Vanna before addressing Marcus.

"Uhm... I'm not sure what book y'all were readin', but I think that it may have been a little outdated... or somethin'..."

Marcus nodded but said nothing, and the rest of the car ride was in an awkward silence. It didn't take much longer for them to pull into the driveway of their house. Zach practically leapt out, his excitement having returned. Vanna popped the trunk for him as he grabbed the crutches and the briefcase. She got out, opening Marcus' door for him.

"Here we are," she said, motioning to the two-storey ranch-style house.

"Home sweet home!" Zach chimed in, passing Marcus his crutches.

"I-it looks very nice, uhm, s-sir..." the human boy said.

"Please, Marcus, call me Zach," he said in a gentle reminder. When Marcus spotted Zach carrying his luggage, he offered to carry it himself, but that idea was quickly dismissed, what with him being on crutches.

"Now, we can go over a full tour of the house later. Fer now, we got a surprise fer ya," Zach said, his tail starting to speed up. The grey wolf with the auburn splashes seemed even more excited as he led the boy upstairs and down the hall and opened a door. "Ta-daah!"

Marcus hobbled along, making sure to keep the weight off his injured leg, not wanting to pop the stitches. he came to the opened door and looked in. Inside was a bed, a desk with a computer on it, some bookshelves with a few books on them, a dresser, and a bedside table.

"I know that it's a bit sparse at the moment, but we weren't sure what you'd like. So when yer feelin' better, we can go shopping fer some things together! Now, how about y'all take it easy," Zach offered, "and let me and Vanna know if there's anything ya need, okay, buddy?"

"U-uh, y-yes s-s... uh... Zach..." at Marcus saying his name, Zach put a paw on his shoulder, noticing how Marcus flinched, but not commenting on it.

"I'm serious, anything at all, just let us know..." and gave his shoulder a squeeze. Vanna looked on from the doorway as Zach set the luggage onto the bed, before heading for the door. The mates made their way downstairs, about to discuss how best to help Marcus feel more comfortable, when they heard some shuffling, and a loud thunk.

"What was that?!" Zack asked, immediately worried.

"Probably him just setting his luggage down," Vanna offered, just before there was another one.

"What if he fell?!" Zach said, starting to head for the stairs.

"Goofball, let's try to stay calm," Vanna said, also feeling concerned by the sounds coming from Marcus' room. After the third audible THUNK, Zach decided to check in on Marcus.

"Hey, Marcus, is everything okay?" Zach asked as he opened the door, poking his head in.

Marcus, who had been scooting the desk over, stood up straight, his arms at his sides. He was holding a rag in his hand, his other arm holding onto a crutch.

"Just fine, s-sir! Just moving the desk over a little to clean behind it. I'll have this room finished soon enough and be ready for the next one!" Marcus said, looking worried. Zach stood there for a few moments, completely bewildered.

"Son, I don't think yer understandin' how this works. This is yer room. And all we expected you to do was get some rest."

Now Marcus was the one to be bewildered, and stood there, not sure of what to say.

"... Oh... sorry, sir."

Zach let out a little sigh, but gave Marcus a warm smile as he entered the room properly. "I ain't gonna pressure you in to callin' me Pa er' nothin'... but please stop callin' me sir..."

"U-uh, y-yes s-I mean... uh... y-yes... Z-Zach." Zach gave Marcus another smile, and then pushed the desk back to where it had been. He waited until Marcus took a seat on his bed before he gave him another smile.

"Are ya hungry? If so, we can get started on makin' lunch," Zach offered. Marcus sat there, looking lost, before he tensed up and nodded.

"Alrighty. How 'bout some burgers? I swear I can make 'em as good as Bugburga!" As Zach then had to explain what Bugburga was to a very confused Marcus, Vanna stood just outside the door, out of sight, smiling. She was still very nervous about the prospect of being parents, but her excitement was also growing...

 _Back in Savannah Central..._

"Well, that was a purdy nice surprise our pups gave ya this mornin' fer yer birthday," Vernon said as he stood next to Dawn at the kitchen sink, Dawn on her trusty step-ladder. They had collected the dishes to wash while the children went about playing.

"I know! It was just so cute and sweet!" Dawn gushed, reflecting on her first, and only bite of the princess toast to include the glitter. Alice had taken the rest of it and discreetly gotten rid of it, the pair agreeing to pretend Dawn had eaten all of it when Lily and Vern and Trevor returned. After Lily had apologized for running out of anymore glitter to use on the toast, Dawn assured her youngest daughter that it was all right, and made a show of eating the newest batch of princess toast.

"Y'know, since Lily loves just about all things princess-related," Dawn said, "that maybe I've got an idea for her upcoming birthday party."

"Oh?" Vernon asked, "Remember, Darlin', that if we do somethin' special fer one pup's birthday, we gotta do somethin' equally special fer all of their birthdays." Vernon chuckled.

"Absolutely, Puppy! I was just thinking that now I know what theme we could use for Lily's party is all. Just like we'll figure out what theme would make Trevor happy for his, and what theme would make Alice happy for hers."

"Alright, Floofs," Vernon said, smiling, before hearing some giggling and turning his head in the direction of the living room. He and Dawn both turned in time to see Princess Callibrie sitting on top of the ZooBaa as it moved about vacuuming. The children were following as the lizard chirped and hissed contentedly, seemingly enjoying the ride.

"Princess Callibrie is riding in style!" Alice said with a giggle, the black wolf pup's tail was wagging.

"She sure is, sweetheart," Vernon said in his rumbling voice. Alice blushed under her fur, but Vernon and dawn could both see the smile at the corner of her muzzle.

 **Yay! I'm so happy to have brought you this new chapter! Please feel free to leave a review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi there, everybody! Sorry for the delay, had a bit of an issue with a close relation having to go into the hospital for emergency surgery. They are on the mend and now back at home, and now I can quit worrying! Anyways, I am happy to bring to you the next chapter of** _ **Found**_ **! Once more, this chapter was proofread by the wonderfully talented** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **. Thanks again, Shandy!** _ **Hugs**_ **. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review!**

Found (Chapter 16)

by

Elite Shade

"Are ya ready fer yer surprise, princess?" Vernon asked as he knocked on his littlest daughter's door. He smiled at the flowers and pink butterfly surrounding the words _Lily's Room_ on the door.

"Uh-huh! Sure am, Daddy!" he heard her voice say excitedly. He opened the door and took in her room. The four-poster bed with the castle motif at the head, the tiny table and tea set, the toy chest, the posters. Just like her brother and sister, Lily's room had come to be furnished ever since he and Dawn had brought them home, and they each reflected their own tastes. His smile grew wider when he spotted Lily standing there in her new princess dress. It was sky blue and had ribbons and frills and poofy shoulders. And it came complete with a faux jeweled tiara, perched right on her brown-furred head. Vernon felt his heart swell, and leaned down with his open arms. Lily, her face reflecting her pure joy, ran forward into her father's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck as he picked her up.

"Well, ain'tcha just a purdy little princess," he rumbled out in his deep voice. "I have a sneakin' suspicion that yer gunna love yer birthday surprise!"

"What is it, Daddy?" the little human girl asked the large wolf, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Well now, I can't go an' tell ya. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I did. We just gotta wait fer yer brother an' sister."

The older, yet shorter, black wolf pup named Alice was presently in her own room with Dawn. The room had some posters of her favorite soccer players, her closet door open to reveal her uniform for her own team, an assortment of toys in a chest, some haphazardly strewn about, with the ceiling painted to look like a blue sky with white puffy clouds. In a socket near her bed was a bunny-shaped night light, that Dawn and Vern casually never mentioned. Presently, the pup was wringing her paws, as she looked at two outfits that her new mother had laid out for her on the bed.

"Now, Alice sweetie, I don't want you to think that you have to wear either of these outfits to the party. You can wear whatever outfit you want. I just thought that since your sister was going to be all dressed up that maybe you'd like the option as well," she said, motioning to the outfits.

The one on the right could be called a "prince" outfit, with a stark white jacket with a red sash, shoulder pads with yellow tassles, big ornate buttons and cufflinks, maroon pants, and a scabbard with a fake sword. The second outfit was a "princess" outfit, very much like her little sister's, only it was pink, with white ribbons and lace.

The pup looked conflicted. Her eyes kept looking over the princess outfit, and she appeared to the ewe to try to reach for it, only to stop herself and resume wringing her paws, before moving towards the prince outfit. Dawn smiled and reached out to give her oldest daughter a reassuring hug.

"Like I said, it's your choice on what to wear, I just want to let you know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to wear either one. And you should know that choosing to wear a dress with ribbons and frills, doesn't mean that you aren't strong. Not one bit. Okay, sweetie?" she said, looking Alice in her yellow eyes. Dawn could tell that her girl was blushing underneath her fur, but saw her tail slowly start to wag.

"W-well... i-it would probably make Lily happy," she said as she picked up the dress, unable to hide the smile on her muzzle.

"It sure will, and I'll bet she won't be the only happy one..." Dawn trailed off, giving Alice another squeeze. The pup then frowned before grabbing and detaching the toy sword and scabbard and attaching it to the dress.

"P-princesses need swords too," she said, as a matter of fact.

"Absolutely," Dawn agreed, giving her oldest daughter one more squeeze before letting go. "Now, while my big princess is getting ready, I'll be just across the hall, checking in on your brother, just in case you need any help, okay?"

"O-okay... M... M-mom..." Alice said, her face crimson red beneath her black fur. Dawn stopped in her tracks, feeling a warm and fluttery sensation in her stomach. Not to be confused with the nausea she had awoken to the last few mornings. She turned and smiled wide at her daughter before continuing out the door to give her some privacy. She removed her glasses to wipe a happy tear from the corner of her eyes, before replacing them and knocking on her son's bedroom door.

"Come in!" she heard Trevor call, and so she complied. Trevor's room had two separate bookshelves, all filled with fantasy and sci-fi books. The comforter on his bed had a galaxy on it, which went well with the glow-in-the-dark stars, comets, planets, and spaceships that dotted the entirety of his ceiling. The posters in his room were of his favorite movies and games, and his toys were more superheroes and aliens and magic-related. There was now even a magician set sitting on his desk, filled with all sorts of little tricks that he just loved doing, much to his sister's and friend's delight. Her smile grew a little wider when she spotted the B&B books also on his desk, open. She giggled as she looked at her little black ram, dressed in his own prince outfit, but the jacket, a light green, was on backwards.

"Need a hoof, sweetheart?" the diminutive ewe asked.

"I think I got it, Mommy," he said, proudly puffing out his chest, making Dawn hold her hooves to her muzzle to stifle the giggle.

"Are you sure? Because I don't know too many princes walking around with their jackets on backwards," she playfully said, before reaching out and helping her son to adjust the jacket. Once she had it on straight, she patted his black wool head-floof, similar to her own.

"There we go. My little prince," she said, leaning over to plant a kiss on his forehead.

"This is gunna be so much fun! We never got to celebrate birthdays like this before!" Trevor said, jubilantly.

"Well, get used to it, mister," Dawn said, meaning it, already an idea for Trevor's birthday party in mind. It involved laser tag and a space-themed alien setting. For Alice, she and Vern were leaning towards either something wild-west-themed or pirate-themed, still not yet decided. Taking his hoof in hers, she noticed that his own toy sword and scabbard were on upside down, and quickly fixed that, before leading him out into the hall, where they met Alice, blushing a little as she stood there in her princess dress, shuffling her feet.

"Wouldn't you say that Alice looks pretty in her dress, sweetie?" Dawn asked, to which Trevor nodded.

"Uh-huh! She sure does!" he said, giggling when Alice wagged at that. Just then, they turned at the sound of Vernon's chuckling, as he walked out of Lily's room, her in his arms.

"Alright, I think that we're all set. Shall we go take a look out in the backyard?" Vernon asked, receiving three enthusiastic cheers, before he and the birthday girl, led the way, Lily still being carried. Down the stairs and through the living room, they came to the sliding glass doors to the back yard, which were obscured by some pink sheets with OMO characters on them. Dawn reached up and slid the door open, and Vernon carried Lily through them.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILY!" a chorus of voices resounded. Lily's eyes grew wide at the sight before her. The back yard had been transformed. Just in front of the swings was a plastic princess castle, fully built. There were streamers, predominantly pink, strewn along the fenceline. There were balloons, a bouncy castle, some tables and chairs set up, along with a table with a stack of presents on it, with Princess Callibrie laying on a cushion before them, with a pair of rubber dragon wings gently tied on her back. And then there were her classmates, who had all been invited, but only a few could make it, along with their parents. The most surprising guests, however, was Vernon's brother Yuri, and his mate Ada.

The midnight black wolf and hyena had showed up with a bicycle, pink and white, complete with training wheels. Ever since the day of Vernon and Dawn's tithe, he and his brother had largely been cool with one another. Yet he and Dawn had not at all been expecting him to just show up for one of their pups' birthday parties, complete with a bike. Yuri had insisted that it was all Ada's idea, but Vernon suspected otherwise. He spotted them chatting over by the presents to some of the parents, his brother cackling about something. Vernon smirked and rolled his eyes. The pups had been excited to meet another aunt and uncle, once Lily's present had been hidden, of course. He was shook out of this reflection by squeals of laughter coming from the children's friends.

There was Emma, the little excitable silver vixen. Timmy, the nervous young squirrel boy, who was riding on her head. Mikey, the warthog who always loved to play tag. Andrew the panther, whom preferred hide-and-seek. And Oskar, the snow-leopard boy, whose family had moved to Zootopia from Norwulf. Lily was so excited, she started to squirm in Vernon's grip. He gave her one more squeeze, and a quick nuzzle, before setting her down. "We'll be openin' yer presents in a little bit, sugar plum," he said, patting Lily on her headfur, "once we rescue 'em from the fierce dragon guardin' 'em. Y'all go on and play until then, okay?"

"'Kay, Daddy!" she said, before racing off to play with her friends, the group heading straight for the bouncy castle. In addition to Lily's classmates, there were a couple of Trevor's and Alice's as well. Trevor had made fast friends with a dingo boy named Mario, who shared his love of sci-fi and outer space, and the two were quickly off, inspecting Princess Callibrie "guarding" her "hoard", and noting how the bowl of wet lizard food before her seemed to keep her contentedly laying on the cushion.

Alice was approached by the semi-nervous wolf boy from her class, Mike, who was the only person she had wanted to invite. His tail was wagging as he waved to her. "H-hi, Alice."

"Hi Mike," she said as she started to head towards the bouncy castle, her instinct to protect her younger siblings being a powerful force.

"Y-you look p-pretty," Mike said, still standing there, wagging his tail.

"Thanks," Alice said, blushing. Dawn and Vern watched his exchange, with Dawn holding in a coo at the cuteness of it all. Vernon chuckled then he and Dawn started to head over to the parents to chat and mingle, and start setting up the presents.

"You sure do know how to throw a great princess party, Vern," Yuri said, striding up to his brother, his usual smirk on his muzzle.

"Thanks, Yuri," Vernon said, smiling a little himself as Ada tugged on Yuri's ear, making the black wolf wince.

"You's two really did a wondaful thing," Ada said in her Barx accent. She and Yuri were both wearing leather jackets and jeans, having arrived on Yuri's motorcycle. "Dose pups really lucked out, ain't dat right, Yuri?" The large hyena nudged her smaller mate. Yuri started rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, sure, they look plenty happy and all," he grumbled, looking awkward. Vernon's smile widened a little, knowing that Yuri actually meant it, and Dawn felt a warmth in her chest at the sight.

Just then, Dawn heard their doorbell, and quickly hurried back inside to the front door. She looked through the peep-hole that was at her eye-line, and quickly hopped down to open the door. Outside stood four mammals that she was so excited to see.

Two more of Vernon's brothers, Trenton and Wade, and their mates, her sisters as they all liked to think of each other, Qali and Giselle.

"Hi, Dawn!" the excited arctic vixen said before practically pouncing on the ewe.

"Hi, Qali," she said with a giggle as she motioned for all of them to come inside, "we're so happy that you could make it. The lambs are just going to be so excited, especially to finally get to meet their uncle Wade and Aunty Giselle," Dawn said while beaming up at the giraffe who had contorted her neck to fit through the doorway.

"Well, o'course we'd be here," Giselle said in her cockney accent, knocking over a coat rack, which Wade was quick to catch and set right.

"We weren't gunna miss this," Wade said, shifting the two presents he was carrying under his arm.

"Same for us!" Qali said, practically bouncing on her hind legs. "It's been too long since we last saw the kits!"

"Easy now, Snowball," Trenton said with a chuckle, carrying a bright yellow wrapped box, while Qali was carrying a small green one herself. "There's gunna be pups and lots of sugary sweets, things're gunna be hyper enough as it is."

"True," Qali said while Giselle snickered. "But I'm just so excited! I just know that the birthday girl is gunna LOVE my gift! I made it myself!"

"Well, I'm sure that she's gunna enjoy mine as well," Giselle said as they stepped out into the backyard, taking advantage of the outdoors to straighten her neck out. The two couples were both surprised to find Yuri and Ada there.

"ADA!" Qali shrieked before running over and hugging the hyena's shins.

"Hey dere, Fluff," she said, leaning down and returning the hug. She took the present from her and set it on the table with the others. She looked up at Giselle. "Heya, Stretch, noice to see me and Plush ain't da only Hunta Gals here."

"Oi, Ada, pleasant surprise to see you two here as well!" The aunts and uncles fell into their usual amicable patter, Dawn and Vernon happy that some family could also be here for Lily's birthday.

The younger children were still in the bouncy castle, with Andrew's father supervising to make sure no one got hurt. Vernon was amicably chatting with the other parents, who were helping him set up the presents on the table. Trevor and Mario were giggling as Princess Callibrie followed them around, no longer content to just lay on her special cushion. Vernon looked up and waved to his brothers and their mates, signaling for them to come over. Dawn spotted Lily climbing out of the bouncy castle, Emma hot on her heels, when the little human girl spotted her auntie Qali, and started to run right for her with a squeal of delight. Trevor and Alice, who had also been in the bouncy castle, turned to the sound of the squeal, and also smiled and ran over.

"Hi, Auntie Qali!" Lily said, then giving a princess-curtsey. As Alice slowed to a stop, she also blushingly did the same, while Trevor giggled and greeted them.

"Awwwwww!" the arctic vixen cooed before stepping forward to hug her youngest niece. "You are all just so adorable! Happy birthday, Lily!" Qali then pulled Alice and Trevor into a hug as well. Lily was quick to thank her aunt while looking up at Giselle with a slightly nervous smile.

"Sweethearts, this is your Auntie Giselle, and your Uncle Wade. She and your Uncle Wade came with Trent and Qali. Giselle, Wade, this is Alice, Trevor, and Lily."

"It's wonderful ta finally meet you all," she said, being very careful to lean down as she offered them each a hug. She felt a little nervous, until she found the little hyao-man quick to reciprocate the hug, followed by her brother and sister.

"You're pretty, just like Auntie Qali and Auntie Vanna and Auntie Ada, and Auntie Honey!" Lily said, making Giselle grin and give her another hug as well as evoking another coo from Dawn.

"Awww, thank you, sweet pea," Giselle said, with a slight blush herself. Soon enough, Dawn spotted Vernon giving her a thumbs up, the signal that everything was ready for Lily.

"Hey there, pups, c'mere and give yer uncle Wade a hug," Wade said, opening up his arms, and was quickly swarmed with the three.

"Alright, it looks like we're almost ready, so Giselle, would you please escort the lambs over to Vernon there? And Qali, could you lend me a paw inside real quick?"

Qali readily agreed and handed Giselle the gift she was holding to take with her to the gift table, and then scurried after Dawn inside. Dawn went to the fridge and opened it up, to reveal an ice cream cake, with pink frosting, and a picture of a castle on said frosting, along with the words 'Happy Birthday Lily!' written in white frosting. It was complete with a large 7 birthday candle in the middle.

"Oh wow! That cake looks beautiful, Dawn!" the arctic vixen said, licking her lips a little.

"Thanks Qali," Dawn said as she grabbed the long lighter from the edge of the counter before putting it into her pocket. "Would you please help me carry it to the table outside?"

"Sure thing!" Qali said, licking her lips again.

"And not try to sneak any of the frosting," Dawn said with a giggle. Qali pouted, but was unable to hold it, and joined in the giggling as she and Dawn grabbed the glass tray the cake was on, and started to slowly head back outside, Dawn first using one of her back legs to close the fridge door. As soon as they appeared outside, Vernon, who was standing next to Lily who was seated at the end of the long table, with all of the other children seated around it, started to lead everyone in the song _Happy Birthday to You_. Dawn smiled at the sight of her youngest daughter's beaming smile, and she started to tear up as a result. Briefly, she was worried that her teary eyes would cause her to trip, but she managed to blink them away. However, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Princess Callibrie, staring right at them.

The reptile watched them carry the cake to the table, before scuttling straight towards them.

"Oh no, hurry!" Dawn whispered to Qali, and they started to lightly jog, with Princess Callibrie closing in on them. They had just set the cake down in front of Lily, before Dawn found herself catching the lizard in her hooves, squirming.

"Woah there, girl," Vernon said, reaching down to pluck the lizard out of his mate's arms. He flinched back a little when she hissed at him, but steeled himself and picked her up anyway. She let out a hiss-huff, and simply curled up in his arms. "Y'all okay, Honey Lamb?"

"I'm fine," Dawn said as she brushed off her clothes. She adjusted her glasses, and smiled up at her mate, then at her daughter. She then pulled out the lighter, climbing up on an empty chair that was there just for this purpose, and lit the candle. Vernon set Princess Callibrie down next to some balloons, before rejoining everyone at the table.

"Make a wish, sweetie," Dawn said.

"Okay, Mommy!" Lily said, seeming to take a moment to think of what it was she wanted to wish for. Once she was satisfied, she closed her eyes, leaned forward, and blew out the candle, to the applause of all the children.

"What'd ya wish fer, Darlin'?" Vernon leaned over to ask. This made Lily giggle while Dawn set about cutting up the cake to pass out to everyone.

"Silly Daddy," Lily said, "I can't tell you or else the wish won't come true!"

"That's right, ya should know better, Vern," Wade said with a cheeky grin, netting him a few chuckles and a light swat from his mate, as well as an eye roll from his brother. Once all of the children had a piece of the ice cream cake, and a glass of punch, and many of the adults had the same, Dawn and Vernon were about to get started on the presents. But then, they heard a gasp, and saw a look of horror on Lily's face. They turned to look in the direction her eyes were staring, and saw a cluster of balloons floating by, with Princess Callibrie biting down onto the ends of the strings, drifting by. Before anyone could say or do anything, Yuri reached out and grabbed the strings, grabbing ahold of the lizard with one paw, and tugging the strings out of her mouth.

"Heh, I gotta admit, this here lizard's actually kinda cute," he said after passing a nearby Wade the balloons, and petting Princess Callibrie. Who chirped... before biting down on his thumb. Yuri jumped and hissed through his teeth, as he pried her off, and thrust the lizard towards Vernon, who gathered her in his paws, and discreetly petted her.

"Lousy little," Yuri grumbled, before Lily, who launched herself from where she was sitting, into his chest, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Out of reflex, Yuri wrapped his arms around her, shocked to see that she was hugging him.

"Thank you for saving Princess Callibrie, Uncle Yuri!" Lily said, hugging tight. "You're a hero!"

Yuri looked around awkwardly, before returning the hug, the corners of his muzzle lifting. "Well, uh, it was no problem... uh, Lily," he said while setting her back down in the chair, and patting her head. He was still looking awkward as his mate slipped an arm around his waist, giving him an affectionate squeeze.

"Alright, now that everyone's all safe and sound," Vernon said, "it's time fer the presents."

They started with all the gifts her friends had brought her, which were various toys, and one Our Mini Ostrich puzzle. Alice and Trevor's friends had also brought gifts of this caliber. Lily was excited for all of them, and thanked each of the children in turn. Then they moved on to the gifts from the aunts and uncles. Wade had gotten her a Floatzen 1 and 2 double feature DVD, which Lily was ecstatic for, and she adored the stuffed giraffe Giselle had gotten her. Next was the gifts sent by Uncle Xavier and Uncle Malcolm. Xavier had gotten the complete OMO series, and Malcolm a Sweet Bake Oven. Lily agreed with her mother that she'd write them both thank you cards.

Trent proudly presented his gift, which Lily opened to reveal a princess Pawgo set. Yuri happily pointed out to Vernon that stepping on those in the early morning would wake him up better than coffee. Ada was quick to yank on his ear, silencing him. Qali's gift, however, was a little plush arctic vixen, dressed as a princess. Dawn giggled, remembering in the last Muzzletime she had with her sisters, how they were all jealous of Vanna for getting a drawing of herself by Lily. No doubt Qali was trying to put the idea of her being a princess in Lily's head, especially as she proudly told the little human girl that she had made the plush herself, much to Lily's amazement. Qali smirked up a little at Ada and Giselle as Lily hugged her new fox princess, before moving on to the other gifts.

The next gift was from her Uncle Ulric, which Dawn and Vern had already pre-opened to make sure it wasn't anything inappropriate, and resealed. It was a book on documented paranormal occurrences all over Animalia. Lily was thrilled by it, as well as by the gift Ully's mate, Honey, had sent, which was a pink butterfly diary, the rough-and-tumble badger having surprised those that knew her. Vanna sent a plush tiger, Dawn having been aware that she too had tried to make one herself, but failed, and was very distraught before being assured by the ewe that the second option, the plush tiger that Lily was now cuddling from her auntie Vanna, was just fine. Zach had sent a copy of the movie, Dinotauria, which Lily had wanted to see but never got to go to the theater, back before she and her siblings had been adopted. The movie was a cute one about a world where mammals didn't evolve and dinosaurs hadn't gone extinct, and actually evolved to wear clothes, walk around and talk, just like everyday mammals.

Ada went and got her and Yuri's gift to Lily from where it was hidden. A brand new pink and white bicycle, complete with training wheels, and pink tassles on the handles. Lily saw it and her eyes lit up, and she started to bounce in her seat. Yuri smugly smiled at his brothers. Uncle Gus and Auntie Melly, who couldn't attend the party due to an emergency at Gus' store, had sent Lily her own children's B&B set of books and figurines, much to both her and Trevor's delight. Yuri had opened his muzzle to say something snarky, but Ada had silenced him, once again. Auntie Val, who was busy doing some court-ordered community service, and Uncle Cody, who had a full workload at the base, had sent a dinosaur plush, after Dawn and Vernon had both vehemently denied the proposed go-kart idea... multiple times.

Then there were the gifts from the grandparents. Grandma Clover had knitted Lily a bright pink scarf, once again made from her own wool. And Grampa Cameron had sent a book of fairy tales, just like the ones he used to read to Val when she was a little kit. Dawn and Vern were a little worried about Audrey's gift, which was a paint set complete with brushes, canvas, and an easel. But they were relieved when Dawn saw that the paint could be washed off with water. Vernon frowned a little at the gift his father had sent. A junior detective kit. He had been talking with the older law wolf on the phone when Dorian told him what he and Audey got for Lily's birthday, and Vernon had been concerned that his father was trying to push a career in law enforcement on his pup, much like he had done to Vernon and all six of his brothers growing up. But the white wolf chuckled and assured his son that all the kit was promoting was the solving of mysteries, and had nothing to do with any kind of law enforcement. The shiny toy detective badge he could see in the kit Lily had excitedly opened suggested otherwise, but he said nothing. He did note to call his father back some time after the party. Judy had called and apologized several times, due to her and Nick being saddled with some surveillance for a sting operation that they couldn't get out of on the day of the party. Even though Dawn had assured the bunny that it was alright, Judy had still promised to make it up to Lily after the sting went down.

And finally, there was Dawn and Vernon's gifts. Lily opened up Dawn's first, and was excited to see that it was a play tea set. Lily hugged and thanked her mother, and asked her and Vernon if they would have tea parties with her, to which they agreed, and at which Yuri snorted. Until Lily asked him and Ada as well, and he reluctantly agreed, much to his other brothers' amusement. Then there was the gift Vernon had gotten her. A little blue digital watch that was OMO themed, and depicted Lily's favorite character from the show, Prism Bolt. The little rainbow-colored ostrich lit up when Lily pressed one of the buttons, and she screamed in delight. Lily put it on, and thanked her father, hugging him tight. Throughout the entire party, Dawn made sure to take plenty of pictures, ensuring that this happy day was immortalized, and the pictures to be made readily available for the rest of the family. She and Vernon had never been happier.

 _Meanwhile, in the Northern Meadowlands..._

Zach was sitting on the couch, his tail wagging as he looked at the pictures his sister-in-law was quick to send to the family. He saw how happy Lily and Trevor and Alice all appeared to be, and started thinking about what he and Vanna would do for Marcus' birthday. He was actually born the day after Yule, so they had some time to go over it. Thinking about Marcus, Zach got up and decided to check on him. He and Vanna had been trying to give him space, but also were sure to check in on him regularly. And not just to re-assert that he wasn't some indentured servant; they both found it troubling that they had to remind him of that time and again. He knocked on Marcus' door.

"Her, Marcus, mind if I come in?" Zach called.

"Uh... y-yes, s-sir!" Zach heard him squeak out, and frowned a little, but made sure to enter with a smile.

"Please, Marcus, you can call me Zach," the wolf said as he entered, seeing his human foster pup sitting at his desk, looking at the uniform in his paws.

"Uh... y-yes, Zach," Marcus said, folding up the coat and setting it down on the desk.

"I got some pictures from yer little cousin's birthday party, and I was wonderin' iffin' you'd like to see 'em."

"... O-oh, o-okay," Marcus said, looking awkward. Zach smiled reassuringly and showed him his phone. Marcus was a little confused about the swiping part, but he looked at the pictures, and Zach was excited to see the smile that formed on Marcus' face.

"H-her name is Lily, right?" he asked, looking up at Zach, who smiled and nodded.

"Yup, and she and her brother Trevor and her sister Alice are some of the happiest pups I've seen," he said with his tail wagging.

"Th-they look happy," he said as he looked at the pictures, handing the phone back when he got to the end of them, lingering when he saw a picture of Lily hugging Vernon. His eyes drifted to the coat on the desk, and that piqued Zach's curiosity.

"May I ask ya a question, Marcus?" he asked.

"S-sure," Marcus said, wringing his hands.

"Where'd ya get that jacket? It seems purdy important to ya."

At first he was worried that he'd pushed too hard, but then Marcus explained.

"I-it was given to me... by Captain Blackthorne... I w-was cold, s-so he g-gave it to me," he said.

"Captain Blackthorne? He sounds like a nice guy," Zach said, his curiosity further piqued.

"... H-he... he... was..." Marcus said, looking down at his hands. Zach frowned, and reached to put a comforting arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked, gently. Marcus was a little surprised by the contact, but didn't shrug it off or shrink back. Instead, he leaned into Zach a little, something that the deputy noticed, causing his tail to start wagging.

"H-he... s-saved me..." Marcus whispered, a silent tear running down his cheek, and said nothing further. They stayed like that, with Zach offering Marcus comfort, and the boy readily taking it. Zach had noticed that Marcus was not used to physical affection, so he and Vanna both had been slowly getting him used to it. He could feel the emotional weight radiating from his foster pup, and so he slowly turned the side-hug into a full embrace. One that Marcus returned. Vanna had heard the voices coming from his room, and checked on the two of them. She smiled at the sight of the two embracing, and felt a sense that this was a big step towards helping Marcus to heal. The tigress knew that it was going to be a long road for them all, but at that moment, she knew that they would make the journey down that road together.

 **I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello there, readers! I can't believe that I got bit by the motivation bug so soon after last time! I hope my house isn't infested! Hehehehe. Anyways, this chapter was proofread by the wonderful** _ **Trismegistus Shandy**_ **! I hope that you enjoy it!**

Found (Chapter 17)

by

Elite Shade

 _Lightning streaked across the sky, followed almost immediately by the crack of thunder. The sea was angry, with massive waves smashing into the ship to and fro. I stumbled out of the cabin I had been given, finishing buttoning my white shirt. I looked around, dazed and squinting in the near-horizontal rain and sea spray that stung my eyes. I saw members of the crew, their footsteps thudding across the metal deck. They were shouting to be heard over the sound of the storm, and I knew that I was completely out of place. I started to walk, gripping the rail to keep my balance on the slippery deck as the boat rocked, like some great beast. Twice I had nearly been bowled over by crew members as they rushed past me to their various stations. I only stopped when I saw a figure I recognized._

 _Captain Blackthorne, in his blue coat, was striding across the deck, his steps sure and confident, bellowing out orders to his crew, directing them like a well-oiled machine. He saw me, and I shrank back a little, his eyes always looked hard to me. Steel grey, just like the sea that day, as the Aurora Hammer sliced her way through the waves that seemed to be intentionally trying to overwhelm us. His tanned weatherbeaten skin and shorn dark hair added to his imposing appearance. His mouth curved up in a slightly crooked smile; I'm pretty sure his jaw had been broken on one occasion._

 _"How're you liking our voyage, young Marcus?" he asked as he towered over me, his voice a deep rumble to rival even the thunder of the storm._

 _"I-it's... uhm... quite t-terrifying, s-sir," I said. I could see him opening his mouth to speak before there was a shout, and we looked up towards the bridge that was just above us, the first mate leaning over the rail._

 _"Incoming vessel off the portside! It's a dreadnought!" she called, her dreadlocks whipping in the breeze. We both turned and looked. I could see a black shape nearing us, briefly lit up by a flash of lightning. I started to feel any hope of escape fade, when I heard Captain Blackthorne's booming laugh._

 _"Don't you fret, boyo," he said, slipping back into his native brogue, "that may be a dreadnought coming at us, but don't forget, the Aurora Hammer is one as well. And I and my crew have been sailing her long before whatever whelps they've decided to throw at us combined. You just go back and wait in yer cabin', while we deal with these pests."_

 _I wanted to argue, to offer to help in any way, and to apologize for all of this happening. But I knew that he would wave me off, especially since he was already walking away, barking new orders while his crew set about getting ready for the inevitable battle ahead. I started to head back to my cabin, and saw one of the crew jogging past my cabin... just as we were hit. I... I never learned his name. I remembered him telling stories of his two daughters that he doted on..._

 _One second, he was there, and the next, there was just a spray of red, followed by a slamming sensation that rocked the boat, and then the fire. There were several more shots around us, the sea itself exploding as they thankfully missed. And then, the Aurora Hammer returned fire. Not one of our shots missed. The exchange itself went on for what felt like an eternity, but I think really was less than five minutes. In that time, I think we hit the enemy's fuel tanks, or something, because there was a great big explosion in the dead center that ripped the entire ship in half. It wasn't neat like a slice, but the ship was in two._

 _Both halves quickly sank, and I heard someone call them idiots for storing their fuel in the center like that, making an easy target. That voice was soon drowned out by some moans and cries of pain, and I think... someone screaming... while burning alive. We continued along, but we had suffered serious damage as well. An hour must have passed before I heard Captain Blackthorne boom out "ABANDON SHIP!" I looked back at where my cabin was, and saw a huge gaping hole in the side, twisted metal and flames that were quickly being extinguished... and some that seemed to continue burning on the very water itself. I felt a large hand clap onto my shoulder, and jumped, looking up into the face of the captain himself. He gave a pained wince of a smile, and started to direct me to a lifeboat. I turned and looked behind me to see other crew members boarding other lifeboats, some having to be dragged on with grievous wounds._

 _"Up ya go, boyo," he said, picking me up and setting me inside the metal boat that seemed so small compared to the huge roiling seas. I stopped when I recognized some of my luggage, and looked back at the captain. "I had some of yer possessions stowed here just in case. Now, you remember the plan? The compass right there will help ya to navigate. Just follow the others, and you should get to the city just fine."_

 _"Y-you're not coming?" I asked, even while the wind snatched my very words away as soon as they left my mouth._

 _"Sorry, boyo, but it looks like this is as far as I go on yer journey. But hey, the captain is supposed to go down with the ship," he said, once more his smile looked pained, and he was looking a little pale. He then removed his coat, detaching his officer's sword from it, and passed it to me. It was then that I noticed the red on his undershirt, leaking down the side of his pants down to his boots, some of it starting to pool at his right ankle. I opened my mouth to speak and beg him to please get in the boat with me, and let me help with stopping the bleeding, but I never got the chance. He slammed his open palm on a button in front of the lifeboat, and immediately it dropped into the choppy surf. After I sat back up, I looked up to see Captain Ian Blackthorne, former Naval Admiral, as he stood proudly on the deck of his sinking ship, and gave a wave, before he drew his sword, and held it aloft, high and proud. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked, and that moment, that sight, will forever remain burned into my mind. The Aurora Hammer was listing to her port side, and soon, was swallowed by the dark sea._

 _Through tear-stained eyes, I started the engine and started to follow the other lifeboats. The Captain had made sure to teach me how to use it just for this very occurrence... but... soon I lost sight of them. Waves smashed some of them against each other, and I could hear snatches of screams and cries for help, before I suddenly found myself alone. I tried to right my directions, following a south-westerly direction, but I didn't know if I was still on course. I don't know how much longer the storm lasted, but it passed eventually, and I could see the late afternoon sky._

 _The sun was just touching the horizon in front of me when I realized that I could see land. I was terrified, and headed straight for it. The land mass grew bigger and bigger until I realized I was off course. I thought about changing directions and following the coast. But... I was afraid of being discovered, and when I checked how much fuel was left in the tank, it was below a quarter of the tank. There were two more cans of gas, but I was also worried about wasting fuel, if I was too far off course. I came to a beach, with black gravel, just as the tank ran dry, and I beached my boat. I... with a lot of effort and time, pulled it far up on shore, and hid it in a small cave I found, obscured by bushes. It didn't look like anyone had been there in a long time. I stripped off my wet clothes and unrolled my bed mat, and collapsed onto it. I woke up hungry in the middle of the night, and ate a little of the dried rations that were included in the boat, and drank a little of the fresh water._

 _The next day, I tried to get my bearings, but I couldn't find a map anywhere. It's possible a bag or satchel may have fallen overboard at some point, so I was scared. I spent a few more days in the cave, making a firepit and drying my clothes, before I gathered up my luggage and supplies, and started to trek inland._

Zach and Vanna sat on the couch opposite of the armchair their foster pup was currently sitting in, listening to his tale with rapt attention.

"And... then I... I kinda got lost, and I couldn't find the beach, so I just followed rivers, until I got close to areas where there were farms... then I saw... other mammals, and I kept my distance... for safety... and I kinda just stayed like that for a few months, u-until I w-was f-found..."

"... That's quite the story, Marcus," Zach said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I swear it's the t-truth!" Marcus said, looking Zach in the eye. While his intuition wasn't as legendary as his father's, Zach could tell that the boy before him was not lying.

"I believe ya, son, I promise," he said, holding up his paws.

"Why didn't you want to be found, sweetie?" Vanna asked, gently.

"... B-because... I w-was afraid th-that I'd be k-killed... or eaten... or enslaved," Marcus said, looking down at his feet. His shoes he had lost in some deep mud, gotten sucked right off his feet. He had been barefoot ever since, a callus having formed.

"... Is that a common belief fer yer species?" Zach asked, his ears drooping when Marcus nodded. He thought back to Marcus asking about ostriches and their horns.

"I think y'all may have some misconceptions about the outside world," Zach joked, noticing that Marcus only nodded.

"I think that I remember that storm," Vanna added, sounding thoughtful, "hurricane Abraham... but that was six months ago. You've been in the woods for that long?"

Marcus looked uncomfortable and shrugged. "I th-think so... but after a while, the days k-kinda blended together..."

Zach and Vanna shared a worried look, the wolf and tigress holding paws. Zach leaned in close to his mate to whisper, "There's only one beach with black gravel I know of nearby, and it has a cave that me and my brothers used to play in when we were pups."

 _In Tundratown..._

"Uncle Wade, Aunty Giselle!" Lily cried in excitement. Dawn and Vern had decided to take the pups to visit Wade and Giselle in Tundratown. Dawn had been a bit concerned about the temperature, especially for little furless Lily, and so had insisted on all of them wearing the sweaters her mother had made them. Not that there was any resistance to that. Although Vernon did have to reel Dawn back in when she also started planning on dressing Lily in a coat as well as a parka. She had been more than a little worried about Lily being especially susceptible to the cold weather. So instead, she had settled on an extra scarf that she snugly wrapped around her giggling little daughter's neck. Trevor and Alice were dressed similarly.

All bundled up, however, the little human girl didn't seem to mind the cold one bit as she darted towards the wolf and giraffe mates, followed by her brother, standing before the open-air ice rink. They both smiled and Giselle quickly reached down with her arms wide open and scooped Lily and Trevor up.

"Well, lookie here, it seems I caught m'self a couple'a giggle-mites!" Giselle said, looking down at her niece and nephew while Wade looked up, his tail starting to wag. He saw Alice hanging back a little, standing near Dawn, and smiled, waving the rest of them over. Vernon chuckled as both Trevor and his sister kept trying to scale Giselle's neck.

"Heya, Vern, heya, Dawn!" Wade said to his brother and his brother's mate.

"Hey there, Allie," Wade said, reaching forward and ruffling Alice's headfur. The pup tried to frown around a giggle as she fixed her now mussed-up headfur.

"H-hi... Uncle Wade..." Alice said, still holding Dawn's hoof. She had tried to play it off as not wanting Dawn to hold her paw as they got on the train to head to the park to meet up with Wade and Giselle, but she didn't say no when the diminutive ewe did so. Dawn even noticed a slight upward curl to her oldest's muzzle, but chose to say nothing. All around were all sorts of mammals of various species, including children, having fun as they skated.

"Oi! I'm notta ladder or some kinda jungle gym," Giselle said with a giggle as she set Lily and Trevor down.

"Alright, now who's ready to learn how to skate?" Wade asked, with a clap of his paws.

"ME!" Lily and Trevor shouted in gleeful unison. The adults shared a chuckle at the enthusiasm on the pups, and all started to head towards the ice rink. There was a facility for renting ice skates and other equipment. The reindeer behind the counter was helpful in locating a pair of skates for everyone, although he looked grateful when Giselle declined a set of skates for herself.

"Aren't you gunna skate with us, Auntie Giselle?" Lily asked as she sat on a nearby bench while Vernon busied himself with tying her laces for her.

"Aww, I'm afraid that I'm a little too much on the clumsy side, Sweet Pea," the Giraffe said, a blush coloring her cheeks. "The last thing anyone needs is me with blades strapped to the bottoms of my feet."

"Really? You looked purdy graceful to me at my birthday party. The way y'all were spinnin' and dancin' around the cake and presents, y'all looked like a ballerina!" Lily said. Dawn and Vernon had both begun to notice that Lily had started picking up Vernon's drawl.

"Oooooh, you are such a wee little sweetheart!" Giselle said, leaning over to pat Lily on her headfur. The truth was that at the party, Giselle had been a little on edge, worried that she would trip over or bump into something and cause destruction to the cake or the presents, or even to the children themselves. Her spinning around was actually due to her losing her footing a few times as she tried to maintain 360 degree awareness of her surroundings, and dodging out of the way. However, Lily's words had touched the cockney giraffe. She had dreamed of becoming a ballerina when she was Lily's age.

"And there ya go, Sugar Plum," Vernon said once both of Lily's ice skates, which were pink and glittery, were fastened. He picked her up in his arms just as Wade was helping Trevor with his skates, and Dawn and Alice were whispering and giggling about something. "All ready to start ice-dancin'."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Lily said, hugging him close. "These're the purdiest skates I've ever seen!"

"Hehe, well, I'm glad that they make ya happy," he said, hugging back.

"Alright pups," Wade said, carrying Trevor while Alice carefully picked her way to the ice itself, with Dawn holding her paw while doing the same. Vernon set Lily down, but kept his paw on her shoulder to steady her, reaching over and doing the same for his son.

"Now, have any of you ever skated or used roller skates before?" Wade smiled as he saw all three shake their heads no, and continued. "It can seem hard for a first-timer, but it's lots of fun and real easy to do once you get the hang of it. First, I want you all to keep your knees slightly bent, like so."

The wolf nodded in approval as his nieces and nephew bent their knees forward a little like he was. "Good! Now, when skating, just gently push forward from one foot to the other, like so," and very slowly, Wade started skating, making sure that the pups all saw how he was doing it. "After that, it becomes easier the more you practice." That was more or less Vernon and Dawn's cue to let go of their children so that they could start skating on their own, yet they both hesitated. Eventually, they let go, and an excited Trevor was the first to start going. Followed by Lily, with Alice having waited to take up the rear, keeping her younger siblings in her line of sight at all times.

"They seem to all be naturals, especially Trevor," Wade said as he skated up to his brother as they watched the children. Lily and Alice both seemed wobbly, whereas the little black sheep boy was already going in circles. "He'd probably do very well on a hockey team." Vernon rolled his eyes, having known that his brother was going to push for the pups to get into his sport of choice. Wade had loved playing on his pee-wee hockey team growing up.

"Maybe when he's a little older," Vernon said.

"And it seems like Lily's really picking up on yer drawl, Vern, I wonder why that is," Wade said with a smirk. Dawn giggled at that.

"I think it's because she looks up to her daddy so much that she wants to emulate him," she offered.

"I think that it's just her fugurin' out her identity, and she's giving the accent a try," he said.

"Ya don't sound too excited fer that, Vern," Wade said, "I mean, I'd have thought you'd find that endearing that yer little girl there wants ta copy ya."

"I think it's downright adorable!" Dawn said, her stomach fluttering. She was briefly worried that she was going to be hit with another bout of nausea like when she first woke up this morning. She and Vern had both noticed how that had been happening the last few weeks. But once more, she pushed the thought away.

"It's cute, yeah," Vernon said, uncomfortably rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Lily almost fall, only for Alice to catch her and steady her, "but... I'm just worried that she'll not drop it. Ya know how lots of mammals view us fer our drawl."

"... True. Lotsa mammals already have a low opinion of wolves already, but throw in a southern accent, and suddenly yer an idjit," Wade concurred.

"Right... so the other day, I took Lily aside and explained that to her, about how hard that was to deal with growin' up, and even ta still be dealin' with it."

"I take it that it didn't work," Wade mused, while Dawn covered her mouth with her paw, holding back a snort while Vernon frowned.

"It backfired," Dawn said, still holding back laughter, while her mate rolled his eyes.

"Yeah... what I had intended ta be a cautionary tale, Lily took as a story of how brave I was fer continuin' ta talk how I want, despite what some mean mammals might think. And then she said she was gunna talk just like me from now on." Vernon crossed his arms as his mate, his brother, and his sister in law all cracked up at that.

"Oh, Vern," Giselle said, wiping away a tear from her eye, "you may be surprised to hear that I m'self have a wee bit of an accent. And I know how ya feel. And I can tell ya that those who would judge her based on how she speaks just aren't worth her time."

"Well said, Giselle!" Dawn said up to her sister, the two sharing a high hoof. It was actually more of a low-hoof for Giselle, but neither one was going to get caught up in the semantics of it. Just then, Lily and Trevor accidentally collided, and Dawn let out a gasp, relaxing only a little when their laughter reached her ears. She still couldn't wait any longer, and started to skate over to her lambs. Vernon chuckled and was about to skate over to join them, when he felt his phone buzzing. He fished it out of his coat pocket and saw he had gotten a text from his brother Zach.

 _Just had a major breakthrough with Marcus! Might be able to introduce him to his cousins soon!_ Followed by a series of smirking wolf izoojis.

 **And there you have it! Please feel free to leave me a review!**


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